So far, I like my 'new life'. It's not fantabulously awesome. But it isn't rubbish either. I have way more free time than is healthy. And well, perhaps a smarter person would have put this to better use. Me? I find myself doing odd jobs around the house. I am a housewife without a husband!

Here, it's easy to forget what I'm really here for! 'Coz I do the "real" thing only once a week. For the other six days I cook, I clean, I reminisce... And between these random things, I don't even find time for an afternoon nap. Can you beat that! The only other thing that ever kept me from afternoon naps before this, was my full-time job. And even then I'd crave for a siesta. Not for the last few weeks though! Maybe it's too early to say. Maybe it'll only last till I 'settle into a routine'..?

But let's not go on a random tangent. What I was saying is this. I'm in the middle of a lot of change. And uncertainty. And adaptation. And growing up. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet!

Taking away a bit of Keele...

It's my last night in Keele. And probably, no one is interested in this...but it's been a whole year since I first got here. Wow.

I've grown to love this place. And not just my room or my block, but the campus. Which felt so alien and huge when I arrived. It's home now. Or at least, the first place where I've truly been 'on my own'. It was all that I wanted it to be. It was a place where I knew no one, where no one knew me. A place where there were no 'expectations'...no 'responsibilities'. Apart from my own. I wouldn't claim to have become any more responsible than I was before coming here. But I sure have learned to take care of myself. And value a lot of things lotttt more than I did earlier. Like family. Like being able to speak English mixed with Hindi. Like...no, let's not go there. It's a loooooong list. And in my head, it's already turning from a 'things I've learnt to value' list to a 'things I miss' list! This is where I discovered my love for cooking (contemplated doing a post on that about a million times but that never materialised!). This is where I first saw my snow :) This is a place of tonnes of memories. Of hangovers and laughing fits and tears...

So anyway, coming back to the point. Less than 24 hours, and I'll be gone. Gone for good. I'll still be 'abroad'...but that's a new chapter. Another step away from my newly developed comfort zone. No more late night walks around campus. No more mid-night trips to KPA. No more Select-n-Save. No more collecting post n parcels. I'm realllyyyy gonna miss it. But this is not the end. I am taking away a bit of Keele with me as I leave. The green, the wind...the winding roads, the vacant parking lots...even the perpetually-choked kitchen sink ;)

They were right. Love:Keele.

:)

I can't pack!

If ever there was a packing-and-moving aptitude test, I would fail miserably! I most definitely would! After spending an entire morning, and most afternoon packing, my room looks messier than ever...and believe me, that's not an easy standard to surpass!

In my head, everything was sorted. Four suitcases of different sizes...and a tiny room full of stuff accumulated over a year. How tough could it be, I'd thought. And since this morning, the universe, or whoever pulls these cheap tricks, seems so be chuckling in glee: 'this is how tough it can be'!

From where I stand now, it looks like I'll need a miracle if I want to move day after tomorrow. Miracles work right???