Oxford
I was born in Oxford city. I didn’t realise how small, sheltered, and insular Oxford is until I glanced it on a map. I grew up there, which took about 18 years, and didn’t appreciate how beautiful it is until I moved away. It brings to mind Morris dancers, gargoyles, model aeroplanes, and cows. I go back frequently, and I’m always disappointed by the coffee: nobody in Oxford knows what a good flat white is. The bookshops and good-looking American imports are incomparable, though.

Reading
I went to university in Reading. Reading campus is rural, with a big lake with geese and ducks, and lots of green fields and trees. The town is adequate, but I always used to dislike that its shop front is a mundane row of Waterstones, McDonalds, GAP, and Starbucks. There is little personality, and a lot of, the phrase I liked at the time, emotional poverty. After three years, I was extremely restless.

Brighton
After graduating, I spent a few months back in Oxford before I ran away to Brighton. The time between making the decision to move to Brighton, and getting on a train, was about five days. I had a deliriously happy year and a half living in three different flats, as it worked out. I have no regrets. There is something about this place that transcends geography. I haven’t fallen out of love with it.

While there, I discovered a lot about good coffee (Red Roaster, Taylor St. Baristas—Oxford, please catch up), and had my first real taste of Japanese cuisine (E-Kagen). The culture in Brighton, and the wonderfully inspiring people I met, were fundamental in helping me figure out what I want to do in my life and work. Did I mention I love it. I do: as ardently as Julie Burchill. Julie allegedly lives in Hove, and I was disappointed that we never crossed paths in Tescos.

London
Um. Hold on. Why is that map there?

What? I’m moving there?

To that dense and horrifying spidernest?

It’s hard to believe, but yes. This week I’m moving to Hackney Road in Shoreditch, London. My flat is near Old Street roundabout, which was recently dubbed Silicon Roundabout.

I am looking forward to lots of things. Getting a better sense of London’s geography, or at least a portion of it. Figuring out where the best coffee is, and how I’ll pay for my daily habit. Attending events and parties in London without spending hours on a train. Being able to see friends at the drop of a hat. Checking out Columbia Road flower market…

And I’m really, really looking forward to being a student at UCL. I have a happy, persistent buzz that’s similar to the buzz I get when I’m in an airport. I cannot wait.