Whew.

I have successfully relocated to Durham!

It took two trips and a lot of getting on and off of trains with very heavy luggage. Not really an experience I'd particularly like to repeat, but it can be done successfully. So I guess that's good to know.

The flat is as pleasant as I remember it, and indeed quite convenient. Sainsbury's is only a five minute walk away, and though I haven't ventured into town yet, I hear it's only about a 10-15 minute jaunt. My room is a glorified closet, but the bed is far more comfortable than what you find in student housing, so I'm sold on it. Plus, it's just nice to be living in a normal house, and not a dorm. I think I'm officially done with dorms now.

Anyway, I only have two flatmates so far but a couple more will be joining us in October. They're both very nice and fun to talk to--one is studying the philosophical history of quantum physics, and the other is studying Arabic, so there are definitely diverse interests in the house. We watched a movie last night that I had to excuse myself from halfway through because I was exhausted, but all in all it seems like we'll get along fine.

So that's that for now. I have a couple weeks to recover, and then I'm going back down to Leeds for a conference on 'Reimagining the Victorians', which should be quite interesting. Some familiar faces will be there for sure, including my Brontës seminar professor, and a friend from that same class. Also, one of my PhD advisors from Durham is to be a keynote speaker, so I'll be introducing myself to him. Fun times! I'm quite looking forward to it.