The first day

This is the first day, but only of this blog. Because of course many days have passed before this. It is no special day really unless you count my move tomorrow. How this all came about is a long story. I am studying and living in beautiful Cambridge. I had always wanted to be here and to do what I am doing. Things, of course, never turn out perfectly the way one imagines them but this has come close, very close.
However, the human nature is such that one always imagines the rosy aspects of life. Nobody takes the time to think of the down times, when you have worries, things are not going as well as you had hoped... that sort of thing. I am currently passing through such a sticky patch. I guess it could be worse, I do not know, all I know is that for a couple of days I was nearing the edge. And it was too close for comfort. It was the lack of sleep that made it so.
It was a combination of things. I am working hard but my research does not feel as if it is moving along at all. My Dad is unfortunately not too well and will need an operation and I am worried sick. I have been going home way too often and so the homesickness does not die out. And I was becoming paranoid about biting insects, lice, fleas, bugs, the works. The final straw was when the heel of my favourite shoe broke. This might belittle it all but sometimes it is the little, unimportant, irrelevant thing that breaks you.
This winter has been very mild and the usually cold weather that kills all the nasty mosquitos and midges did not happen. And mosquitos find me very tasty. I live (it will be lived, tomorrow) right on the river Cam. It must be one of the most enviable places to live in for miles around. The house's foundations are in the waters of the river right in the centre of the town. This places me right on the windowsill, as it were, of all water loving mosquitos. And they were making a feast of me. So much so that I started freaking out and thinking I had fleas or some such nasty thing. And I stopped sleeping at night. There was one memorable night that I tried to sleep on the bathroom floor. That lasted all of 2 hours till I was so stiff it was almost all I could do to crawl back to bed.
Since then (a bit over a week) I have had the pest control people in twice to check the place out and they always say it is not anything in the room, it is the nasty insects that come in off the river. So I have decided that painful though it is I have to move to preserve my sanity.
College has very kindly given me a room about 200m away but safely away from the river. The views from my windows are nowhere near as fabulous but instead of 1 big room I get 2 smaller ones so I can have a separate study and bedroom. I find this very cool and an upgrade on all the rooms I have had as a student. Now all I need to aim for is to have my own bathroom. Ah the joys of not having to share facilities.
I am enjoying such joys now. Because until the new room is ready I have been temporarily put up in a guest room. And this has its own bathroom. Lovely luxurious baths every night.
In the meantime I am not being pestered by insects any more and have had 2 full nights of blessed sleep, the shoe shop has changed my shoes for a new pair, I have started labwork again today so it feels like things are moving again and tomorrow my Dad will have his test so we'll know exactly what needs to be done. My Dad's results will most likely say that he will need an operation but at least we will know how soon and how serious. It will not be easy but it will be better than the suspense.
And this is why I decided to keep a blog. Saying things out helps to work them out of the system. There is not anyone I would care to worry with all of this right now. Or at least not anyone who does not have enough worries of their own that I can go and pile mine on their shoulders too. I have told different bits to different people and they were all extremely supportive, but it is nice to pour your heart out all in one spot. So this blog will be my friend where I say all and get relief. I really wish I could keep it personal, just like a diary.
It will be an eye opener to revisit it again later and look at things from a different perspective.
So, after this long rant, I'll go and pick up a couple of bags in which I can start packing my stuff ready for the imminent move. I think the next entry will be from my new, but very bare, room.
Next time it will be shorter. I promise.