Leads 1

Here we go again. Five years after I set off for Sydney, I’m heading abroad once more. Once again to a Commonwealth country, this time to the motherland itself, the United Kingdom. More specifically, to Leeds. The university there will be my alma mater for the next semester.

The preparations were a bit stressful again. I attended birthday celebrations in Dresden, visited family in southern Germany, went on an outing with colleagues, packed my belongings into moving boxes, painted, cleaned, and finally moved out. Goodbye, first apartment of my own.

I flew from Berlin. I barely slept the night before, which made for a very relaxing flight. As soon as I sat down in my seat, I fell asleep and didn’t wake up again until we landed in Manchester.

Once there, everything somehow felt like Australia again. Foreign-language announcements all around me, people hurrying about without even taking the time to enjoy the advertisements on the walls, and finally, border control. Unlike in Australia, however, this time I belonged to the privileged (EU) queue, where there was much less traffic, and I entered the United Kingdom in no time.

I quickly picked up my backpack from the baggage carousel—it was already waiting for me—and then stepped into the English world.

The university had organised things very well: right outside the airport, “buddies” in purple hoodies were waiting to welcome us. We were still waiting for someone whose flight had been delayed, and then a bus would take us to our respective dormitories.

The room is quite sparse, but it will do for the time being. Five of us share the apartment: three English freshmen, away from home for the first time, and two exchange students.

I spend the afternoon exploring the route to the city center and the university, wandering around a bit, reading my book in the sunshine by the riverside, and finally doing some grocery shopping.