Tomorrow I go home. I am really ready to go home, to be somewhere familiar, with people who I know, and nothing new or scary to force myself into! But it has been a good ten days, and I have learnt loads.

Today was the last seminar, for all the PhD students starting this term. It was very practical, and started with explaining exactly what a PhD is. You might be surprised by how many of us were grateful to have this clarified, it has felt a rather vague notion up until now. (It’s just 3 years—or 6 years part-time—researching a topic of my choice, and at the end I have to show knowledge in my area and contribute something new in an academic format that is good enough to publish.) We were also told how often we should expect to see our supervisor (roughly once a month) and who decides what we study and how we do it (we do). The supervisor is a bit like the editors who have edited my novels—the work is all mine, and my responsibility, but they bring an area of knowledge beyond mine, and contribute helpful advice to make my work better.

After the seminar I had lunch with a friend (see, I have even managed to learn names and make friends!) I also discovered that the library, which has seemed worryingly small, actually has 3 other floors that I had not discovered. I managed to successfully return a book I had borrowed, and was given a paper receipt.

This afternoon, it was tempting to stay in my Premier Inn room, reading and writing and hiding from the world. But it’s my last day, and the sun was shining. I walked a loop of all the lanes that I have frequented during my stay, taking in the sights for a final time. There was my college, New College, perched on the hill. The entrance to the castle (which I have never seen without scaffolding either being erected or removed). There is the Royal Mile, with cobblestones and pretty buildings, bagpipers busking and a thousand tourists. Then down the lane which is thought to have inspired ‘Diagon Alley’ (Harry Potter.) Along Grassmarket, with the pub called Maggie Dickson’s—she was hanged in 1723 for murder, but survived and revived; so they changed the law thereafter to say ‘Hanged by the neck until dead’ to prevent further escapes from punishment. Then past ‘The Last Drop’ which is a pub with nooses in the window, marking the square where people were hanged. Past the castle, high above the city. Through a graveyard of huge gravestones (it’s easy to see how Edinburgh inspired the Harry Potter stories). Princes Park, with its fountain and sculptures and more tourists. Back to Princes Street, and my Premier Inn.

I pass a teashop each time I leave the hotel, and today I decided to treat myself. It had high-backed chairs that formed sort of screens, so the vibe was very Chinese Teashop. I had a pot of tea, and a strawberry tart, and sat there, enjoying the view and trying to understand the Chinese chatter of the group on the next table (I think they spoke Cantonese, so I didn’t understand more than the odd word.)

In the evening, I walked to a little Bistro round the corner, and ordered a glass of red wine and spaghetti bolognese, and a side salad. I don’t think they are used to people ordering side salads (it wasn’t on the menu) and my bolognese arrived with a few lettuce leaves draped on top! Later, the waiter noticed and went to the kitchen and I was given a very sweet little salad with slices of fresh orange decorating the edges, and lots of apologies from the waiter. I sat in the corner, and watched the world, and felt very brave for being there.

Now everything is done. I shall set the alarm, and walk to the station tomorrow morning, and get several trains back to Kent. It has felt like such a long trip, the longest 10 days ever. But I am pleased with what I have achieved, and am looking forward to settling down into my research.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a good day.

Take care.

Love, Anne x