New Beginnings

So now I have been at Cambridge for almost three weeks now. Sometimes I still will be walking around and have a jolting revelation that, yes, I am in fact living here. The beauty of the campus is truly surreal, and I am constantly in a state of wonder. The number of "firsts" I have accomplished in this time could overflow a bucket list. These three weeks have made me realize, however, just how hard it can be to pick up and go to a completely new country where you know absolutely no one. And I know most people have it much harder than I did. After all, they still speak English here, and I arrived almost immediately into a large social group in the same boat as me. Still, I go through moods almost everyday, where I swing wildly from absolutely loving it here and being terribly lonely and missing home, even though I'm not entirely certain where "home" is for me anyway. I think my problem is that I have a tendency to become a melancholy shut-in sometimes, although I've made a big effort to attend every single social event and talk to everybody I meet. It can be exhausting sometimes though, and I really look forward to making closer friends whom I can be comfortable and just hang out with now and then. For now, I'm still enjoying meeting new faces from all over the world and getting to know really interesting and intellectual people doing exciting things. There are so many events and gatherings and meetings happening all the time, and I feel like I need to go to everything to take full advantage of my time here. It is all a bit of a whirlwind. Sometimes I have to take a deep breath and steel myself before jumping back into the churning river (literally and figuratively!). So far, every time, it's been absolutely worth it.

I think this video and song captures my feelings rather well. The song is The Strokes - I'll Try Anything Once.