In 2008, I survived my first summer in England. And to be honest, it was much more pleasant than I thought it would be. Most of June and July were quite warm (around 20-25 degrees) and sunny. I didn’t understand why people had complained so much about the dreadful British summer. But now...I understand. Maybe it’s because I’m a bit more north, or maybe in 2008 we just happened to be lucky, but this year...the weather is AWFUL!
Ok, ok...maybe I should be less dramatic. Three weeks ago, we did have a weekend of really beautiful sunshine and 26+ temperatures. All of Leeds was out and about enjoying the sun. Leeds has a small canal and the surrounding area is called Clarence Dock. It has been developed into quite a posh and lively part of the city. Along the water there are many small restaurants, cafes and bars with terraces facing the canal. There is also a very iconic white bridge (see pictures for details) that gets used in promotional material for the city. We spent most of our weekend in and around Clarence Dock so here are some pictures documenting the weather!
But then, it all went downhill. The last two weeks has been about 15 degrees and mainly filled with grey skies and rain. Everyone still has to wear their sweaters (or 'jumpers') and jackets, and it has been extremely depressing! Luckily there were a few reasons to celebrate even in the rain. About two weeks ago my friend Sachin, who I knew from my undergrad, and who studied with us in Leicester came to visit a few of his friends in Leeds. It was really great to see someone from Canada and hear all the updates (and also really crazy to hear how much everyone has progressed in their careers and lives since we finished in Leicester).
It's funny sometimes how you still see your friends as being students even after they've moved on with their lives. In 5 days Sachin will be taking his 'oath' and will officially be a criminal defense attorney. In 15 days my ex housemate, fellow MA alumna, and in general one of my best friends, Zainah will be getting married in Syria. This kind of news usually travels in threes, but for now I just have those two updates! At the end of the day, they're still my schoolmates, and after all the education and hard work, we're all just a bunch of big kids behind closed doors (and for some of us, not necessarily that big!). Many of the friends I made in Leicester are to date some of the closest ones I have in my life - even though we are all over the world at the moment we always find a way to reunite and keep in touch. It really makes a difference when you have people of quality in your life.
Last week was my friend Lia's birthday. Most of my friends here are actually from the Master's program in the Communications department. They're still older than me, but not as much compared to my PhD colleagues so I prefer to socialize with them. It will be sad when they all graduate in September though...luckily there are one or two PhD students who are closer in age to me, and I'll be moving in with one of them in September: Kheira (pictured below with the glasses). I'm actually excited to be in a bigger flat and to have some company - living alone is not as fantastic as it seems! It's nice to have privacy but I've realized (and maybe this is after spending 24 years living with people) that company is much more important, especially when it's the right kind of company.
The girls on Lia's birthday
My beautiful building on a sunny day :)
Sachie!
Most of the Masters' students + about 4 phds
And before I go, just a quick update on my upgrade process. My upgrade viva is scheduled for the end of this month, so hopefully if all goes well I will officially be a PhD student rather than a candidate, and I can start to arrange my fieldwork for September. I don't think I've mentioned this before, but a viva is when you have to meet with a panel of faculty members who asks you about your research, and the work you've done this year, and judges whether or not they think you are competent enough to see your doctorate through to completion. So yes, it sounds like a big deal, and it is. But I'm not all that scared about it - in fact I'm quite confident that the upgrade will be a very helpful process. Even if I'm asked to make some corrections, it's not the end of the world, and actually it will be a good opportunity to get insight from other faculty about my work. To be honest, the worst part was trying to get my thoughts down on paper (10,000 words worth of paper to be exact). And now that I've actually managed to put together something worthy of submitting to my panel, everything else seems like a breeze.
On second thought...make that a chilly, rainy, British summer breeze. But a breeze nonetheless :)
