A little in love

There are certain places in life where you just feel comfortable. Most would think of home, or the place where your family resides or used to live, but as we get older these comforting places become more and more obvious to us, and they are further afield than we would have ever thought before.

These places may not want to be where you want to live, or the place you want to spend the rest of your life, but they will always mean something to you for one reason or another.

Currently I am writing this blog in the student union of Leeds University. I have come to visit my friend, Anna, as she lives in the city and studies Environmental Science here. Universities ‘up North’ never appealed to me, but in truth, I never even bothered looking at them. Maybe I should have.

Although I have barely spent two days here, and have hardly explored even a fraction of the city, I believe that Leeds is beautiful. I could be looking through Autumn-tinted glasses (a season which for me has taken on a certain unexplainable and incomparable beauty this year), but I still believe what I am seeing is true.

The student union itself is HUGE, and we haven’t exactly visited every nook and cranny - the bars, clubs and cafes all seem to have a different feel and atmosphere, each suiting the person it sits and holds within its walls. Me and Anna are sat on a big, diner-like table, on the upper floor of The Refectory, which is a very large cafe/restaurant. Downstairs there are many students sat round table eating, drinking, working and chatting, but upstairs is a slightly different story. We can still hear the hustle and bustle of the people below, but it’s a lot quieter on the upper level. There are less people and more space, so we are both getting some work done. For me this is a lot easier: my work has no deadlines, no critic apart from myself. I’m editing a video, and writing this blog as a bit of a creative break. Unfortunately Anna is trying to tackle Chemistry, a rather lacking and difficult part of her course. Judging by the look on her face, I don’t think she’s too pleased about it. As I said to her, I’d offer to help, but I am “more pants than you”. Direct quote there.

Anyway, back to what I was saying.

The union, based off my brief experience within it, seems to be a good place to socialise as well as study. The current window we are sat by does not provide many distractions, but nonetheless other parts of Leeds would certainly want me, and maybe force me, to give up my books. The park we walked through on the way here was composed of Autumnal reds and oranges, and the winds we are receiving from the tail-end of Hurricane Gonzalo made the leaves swirl around us - it was magic.

My arrival here yesterday showed me the more commercial side of Leeds. The Trinity Shopping Centre seemed light and bright, with weird and wacky and alternative shops/cafes, as well as the hipster favourites (i.e Costa and Starbucks). I have not explored this place as much yet, but I plan to, and I want to do some shopping there before I leave.

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I know this is a bit of a strange blog, not like one I've done before. I’m writing this part the next day back in Anna’s flat.

I guess the point I was trying to make was that, despite the fact I have spent such little time here, I feel at home, I feel comfortable.

I like my surroundings, I like the park, I like the city, I just like it. And the longer I spend here, it’s becoming more of a special place for me.

I think I may be a little in love with Leeds.