The Beginning of Whatever's Next

I am currently writing this post having just finished my module related coursework. 15,000 words from term two behind me and "only" a 12,000 word research dissertation ahead of me. I say this rather sarcastically as roughly 40+ pages on the political economy of rural Rwanda will not be easy. However, it is true that I am nearing the end of my degree. After months of anticipation leading up to my move, I cannot believe I have been in Leeds for 8 months already. In many ways time has flown by, yet the feeling of establishment I now have makes it feel even longer. Good friends, knowledge of the city, experiences that will last a lifetime, and the steady progression of my course have allowed me to feel surprisingly settled. Don't get me wrong, there are definite aspects I miss about home, and while school has gone well, I am not going to necessarily miss the 'student lifestyle'. Achieving this sense of establishment was not always easy, and this year has challenged me in ways I definitely did not expect. While a masters degree is certainly not a breeze, I think in many ways I overestimated the challenge of school itself and underestimated the stress that a lack of routine, the initial adaptation to a new place, and the unknown future would bring. With that said, September marks the beginning of that unknown. My course will be done, and I will be frantically be searching for a job in the field, but whether that be here or back in the States, I have yet to decide. So while I would love to answer the question of where I will be and what I will be doing this fall, I simply do not know. What I can offer you in the meantime, is a brief rundown of what's all happened since my last post!

At the end of January, I started a part time job as an admin assistant at a letting agency in the City Centre. It's nothing glamorous but flexible hours and extra spending money has proven ideal; particularly so with a decent travel schedule! In February, I made a quick 48 hour solo trip to Lisbon, which was amazing. While I normally prefer to travel with people, traveling by myself allowed me to explore everything at my own pace within such a tight time frame. Lisbon is a beautiful city of rolling hills topped with colourful and historic buildings set against a massive waterfront. Portugal itself has a rich history and plenty to explore, so I am eager to go back someday. Following this trip, I went with a friend to an X Ambassadors concert in Manchester. Let's just say seeing one of my favourite bands play live and bar crawling through the city made for a great day.
A couple weeks later, I had the fantastic opportunity to attend Prime Minister's Questions in Parliament. For those of you who are not familiar, once a week MP's from both parties question the Prime Minister on a range of issues, which inevitably always includes quite a bit of wit and banter. Anyway, I was lucky enough to manage a ticket to the viewing gallery, and even got a behind the scenes tour of Houses of Parliament to boot! Following the quick day trip down to London, I spent the next few weeks quite busy in Leeds before the Easter Break.

Easter Break was a whirlwind of travelling and studying. The first few days were spent in Copenhagen with some friends. We stayed at a great Airbnb near the city centre and extensively explored the city by bike and foot. Given that it is Scandinavia, I was nevertheless amazed by how clean and efficient the city is. While it has some very old grand palaces, government buildings,etc, it still feels like a cutting edge modern city. From Denmark, I flew directly to London to spend Easter with family. It was a great time seeing all the cousins, and relaxing over the holiday. I then spent the next two weeks back in Leeds buried in the library working on some essays, remarkably it was a pretty productive time. To cap off the month-long term holiday, I flew to New York to hang out with my dad for a week. Flights to the UK were quite expensive, so instead of my dad visiting me out here, we agreed to meet 'half-way'. Despite being a bit sick, I had a wonderful time playing tourist with my dad. Great sights, food, and company...it really was a perfect way to close out an already full month.

Well this catch-up is running rather long, and while I still have a lot to write about, including a visit from a good friend from Colorado, it will have to wait until next time. Needless to say, I cannot express how fortunate I feel to have had the opportunity to do all these things. I often times get run down in the everyday stress of life, but these posts are a great reminder of how truly blessed I am. Beyond travelling, and other noteworthy outings; the friendships, classes and just everyday experiences have made these eight months incredibly rewarding. I am sure summer will fly by, but I know there is a lot on the horizon...whatever that may be!