Mind the Gap: Home Sweet Home

Living at Sussex, and in Brighton in general is a lot of fun. I wasn't sure what to expect from my housing situation on campus, but as you can see from the pictures below, I've got a pretty nice set up over here. For the first few days I hated living in my flat. It was eerily quiet without any flat-mates around and the prospect of having to cook for myself terrified me! Now that the others have returned and have been friendly and helpful in teaching me the lay of the land I've relaxed and settled into my new home nicely. Having visited some of my friends' dorms, I realize how lucky I am to have been placed in Lewes. I have my own room with a sink in it, a nice open kitchen/dining room area, a bathroom complete with shower, tub and two toilets (which I only have to share with 4 other people)! Some of my friends are not so fortunate, but it makes for great company as they're over all the time.

Some of you would be relieved to know that I have not had any major cooking casualties- all my self-prepared meals have been edible and the only thing I've burnt was my finger while taking something out of the oven. My new American friends and I have started an impromptu dinner routine every Tuesday night. We'll flock to someone's kitchen with the ingredients for a meal, prepare it and eat it together. The first week was Italian, the second was Mexican and the third is tentatively Indian. My friend Kevin says we're eating our way around the world. It's nice to cook with others- less room for error plus I get to learn new recipes. Now I know I can make a mean burrito... and I never even knew I liked burritos!

The city of Brighton is fantastic. It reminds me of a larger Northampton, MA. People over here call it 'London by the sea' but these people haven't been to Northampton. Significantly larger than my hometown in the Happy Valley, Brighton is home to a large arts and music scene and is also a vibrant gay community. Famous for the Brighton pier and boardwalk by the shore the city is full of all different sorts of architecture making it a fun place to just walk around and explore. In the city centre there's a major shopping mall, Churchill Square, and two smaller "neighborhoods" called the Lanes. The North Lanes hold the hipper, trendier shops and restaurants while the Lanes (no geographical prefix given) contains the older pubs, higher end restaurants, beautiful antique shops and art galleries. There's definitely something for everyone in Brighton, always something to see and do.