first day on campus

today was, as the title suggests, my first official day on campus. i did orientation ('induction') with both the school of arts, histories and cultures and the museum studies department. we even got our course reading packets, which is very exciting. i also got to meet most of the faculty, with the exception of the professor that i most want to study with (he is on research leave in greece for this semester). i met a few of the students, and i think the year is looking very promising.

i also have been in manchester for almost an entire week now, and really enjoy it. the city is amazing. it is to london as chicago is to new york: more industrial, but with a very distinct identity and culture. the area i'm in is very pretty, with trees and everything! i even have a sainsbury's a block away, which is very helpful. my dorm is livable as well and i'll post pictures as soon as i get it all figured out... it's still a mess and i need a hamper.

i have two flatmates so far, one guy and one girl. the guy (S) is a dental student from pakistan (most recently saudi arabia), and the girl (M) is an HR student from kazakhstan. i was quite worried for a couple days because i thought it was just going to be S and me, and he has wasted no time in hitting on me. that would've shaped up to be a very uncomfortable year. so, as you can imagine, i breathed a sigh of relief when M moved in a couple hours ago!

i've already made a few friends here that i'm very excited about: they are all in their second year, and live together (a flat of 6 girls). i went to theirs last night for dinner, and we are going for a drink tonight in a few minutes. it's a relief to have fallen in with a great group of people so quickly.

i've been eating lots of cereal and sandwiches, and had beans on toast for dinner tonight. love the menu options over here! but now i should head out and get some cleaning done before i leave for the pub. hope life is going well for you all, much love from manc!