manchester as home

This past weekend, I was walking around town and I suddenly had this sense of comfort and peace and happiness. It sounds like I was high, but seriously. It was like I just realized that I do like Manchester. It grows on you. The city, I mean. Or, rather, "glorified town" as one girl at Gabs likes to call it. I don't feel at home but closer to home than I have since I arrived. I think it's that I've met a ton more people, had reasons to get out of Gabs, barely spend a waking moment in Gabs. It's simply that I found a new spark for life that I didn't expect and that's ridiculously comforting. 

The campus still doesn't feel like a campus and things aren't perfect but I like that everything's getting better. And I've met a good handful of people who totally get where I'm coming from and have had the same experience I have with Manchester. I have hope!

***

The other night, I was walking home from a society meeting and due to some silly circumstances, I brightly yelled, "I hate my life!" A couple passers-by who had glanced over when we walked by turned back around to call, genuinely concerned, "Don't say that!" In turn, I smiled and responded, "Oh, I don't really!"

It's moments like this that I love. It's one of my favourite parts about home, that people are incredibly friendly and you can end up in conversation with just about anyone, about anything. It was nice to find it here too.