After my book club meeting yesterday, I had to return a book at the central library so I decided to hop over to Brandon Hill, which is not very far. I discovered Brandon Hill on my first day in Bristol, back in the autumn of 2016. I had participated in a walking tour of the city, and Brandon Hill was the final stop. It is difficult to do justice to Brandon Hill in words, but picture a green hill pretty close to the centre of the city with panoramic views. Atop Brandon Hill sits Cabot Tower, a narrow tower with a spiralling staircase. From the top of Cabot tower, but even from its base, one can look down the hill to the small boats docked at the harbour and the tall sails of the S.S. Great Britain, a decommissioned steamship which now serves a venue for upmarket events. If you turn your gaze slightly higher you see the hills that surround Bristol. It is quite a sight, even on a cloudy day. I immediately knew that I would return to this place often during my time in Bristol.
During my first ill-fated stint in Bristol, it became my go-to spot on days when I was feeling blue.
The next time I came to this place was after I had had an argument with my crazy landlord. I had never felt really home in that house and I had begun to feel a little trapped. Matters would come to a head a week later, which would result in my eviction and set in motion a long train of events which I won't go into today.
Another time I came there was after meeting a PhD student that I had been introduced to through a mutual acquaintance. I had high expectations of such meeting since I didn't have any friends or even avenues to meet new people. The meeting was a disappointment, which heightened my sense of alienation. After the meeting, I walked over to my spot at the top of Brandon Hill. As I gazed at the now-familiar scenery, it occurred to me that I wasn't tied to Bristol. I could either spend lengthy intervals back in India, working on my PhD from a distance, or with my aunt in Brighton. I had found that thought reassuring at the time.
Yesterday, my feelings couldn't have been more different. I will save my current feelings about Bristol for another post. All I will say for now is that Bristol has started to feel like home.
During my first ill-fated stint in Bristol, it became my go-to spot on days when I was feeling blue.
The next time I came to this place was after I had had an argument with my crazy landlord. I had never felt really home in that house and I had begun to feel a little trapped. Matters would come to a head a week later, which would result in my eviction and set in motion a long train of events which I won't go into today.
Another time I came there was after meeting a PhD student that I had been introduced to through a mutual acquaintance. I had high expectations of such meeting since I didn't have any friends or even avenues to meet new people. The meeting was a disappointment, which heightened my sense of alienation. After the meeting, I walked over to my spot at the top of Brandon Hill. As I gazed at the now-familiar scenery, it occurred to me that I wasn't tied to Bristol. I could either spend lengthy intervals back in India, working on my PhD from a distance, or with my aunt in Brighton. I had found that thought reassuring at the time.
Yesterday, my feelings couldn't have been more different. I will save my current feelings about Bristol for another post. All I will say for now is that Bristol has started to feel like home.
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