Sunday 14/9
It was the day I left London for Exeter. I spent the morning walking around the area one last time, savouring the essence of London as much as I can. My dad called the airport shuttle to pick us up after noon, but it arrived a little more than half an hour after the scheduled time. When the shuttle didn't turn up after a while, I started to panic (what if it doesn't come!?) because I didn't want to miss the university coach as it was the last bus for the day - departing at 4pm.
It was the day I left London for Exeter. I spent the morning walking around the area one last time, savouring the essence of London as much as I can. My dad called the airport shuttle to pick us up after noon, but it arrived a little more than half an hour after the scheduled time. When the shuttle didn't turn up after a while, I started to panic (what if it doesn't come!?) because I didn't want to miss the university coach as it was the last bus for the day - departing at 4pm.
Heathrow Airport is about 40 minutes' drive away from the hotel, but it was hard to predict the duration of the journey because there was also the possibility of heavy traffic. Thankfully the shuttle finally came, and I managed to reach the airport in time - pheww! After going to the specific arrival hall, I started scanning the area for people in bright pink shirts from the Welcome Team. It was fairly easy to spot them, thanks to the sharp colour. After bidding a quick farewell to my dad, I followed them to where the coach was waiting.
One minute into meeting someone new and I have already embarrassed myself.
So, after telling each other our names...
So, after telling each other our names...
India (from the Welcome Team): Where are you from?
Me: Malaysia! *proudly*
India: Oh! I have been to Borneo before!
(Silly me thought that Borneo is in Indonesia)
Me: Oh cool, did you go to Malaysia?
*silence*
...Or probably she didn't catch what I said (hopefully).
Later I googled "Borneo" because I was pretty curious where this place is exactly and... Ermagerd I wanted to hide my face forever. What a disgrace I am to my country. I hope I will never see India again. I hope she completely forgot what I said.
...
Heh. Moving on...
Heh. Moving on...
The moment I stepped onto the coach, I was taken aback. Because in front of me were all Chinese students, except for one or two Caucasians (other than those in the Welcome Team). Wow did I just get transported to China unknowingly? It was a real surprise for me because I never expected to see so many Chinese people in the UK. Come to think of it, it is actually not that surprising because Chinese people are literally everywhere *insert laugh-cry emoji* (I don't mean it in an offensive way)
I was probably the last person to board the coach, and the only seats available are the ones towards the back. I sat alone and was distracted by the strong Chinese accent that seemed to permeate the whole coach for most of the journey, while looking out the window trying hard to believe that I am actually on my way to Exeter.
We arrived in Exeter a little after 7pm, and the coach took us straight to the university and dropped us off in front of the INTO building. Sue, the head of the Welcome Team, welcomed us and gave us a short briefing. We were then separated into the respective vans based on our accommodations. The van took us to the main reception in Birks Grange for us to pick up our keys, before fetching us to St Davids.
St Davids is an enclosed area of two sections called Kingdom Mews (the entrance is directly opposite the St Davids train station) and Brunel Close, with both flats and houses.
The van drove in via the Kingdom Mews entrance so I had to walk through it to come to Brunel Close. It was about 8pm at that time and the sky was completely dark, so thankfully the Welcome Team members were there to show us the way to our respective accommodations.
An unfortunate thing happened when I was pushing/pulling my big ass luggage, I think it was because the road was uneven, and as I was pushing/pulling with all my might, one of the wheels suddenly broke and came off... So I had to stabilise the luggage while pushing/pulling and it was no easy feat because it was terribly heavy :(
Wei Wen from the Welcome Team came with me - I met her earlier back in Malaysia during the freshers' briefing in KL and I didn't expect to see her again, so it was such a coincidence. She lived in St Davids during her first year so she was familiar with the place and brought me to my house. It was seemingly quiet so that probably meant my housemates were out. Wei Wen helped me carry my luggage up the narrow stairs - imagine two petite girls doing that...
The moment I opened my room door, I was so surprised to see a huge room. Because earlier I had saw the room on the website through a virtual tour, and the room looked really small, typical of a student room in halls (just enough space for a bed, study table, bedside table, cupboard and a sink). My room was actually the biggest of the other five rooms, having the width of the house and two windows facing the main road.
Room 2!
I came down to the kitchen and saw a note left by Ed, one of my housemates, saying they went to a nearby pub and even left a number for me to call if I want to. Aww that was really sweet, I thought.
I went up and was about to start unpacking, when I heard them returning. We introduced ourselves, so there is Jenny, Simone, Yajur, Ed and Ben. All of them are British (one is British Indian)! They invited me to play drinking games in the kitchen but I was super tired so I declined, but I didn't want to appear anti-social so I watched them play.
So basically I got introduced to three different drinking games on my first night in Exeter, haha! I can't remember what the others are but one was especially interesting, called Ring of Fire. It looked so fun and I wanted to join but I was mentally and physically weary that night. Hmm I will make it a point to play it some time! After a while, I went up and unpacked my things and got everything done within two hours.
First night on my own in a foreign place.
Monday 15/9
Here's a zoomed up photo of the train station from my room.
As you can see, my house is really near the train station. I like it though, because it is so convenient when I want to travel. The rumble of the train is not as loud as I had expected, and even though it can be heard quite often, I got used to it after some time until the point where I don't realise it sometimes!
There were some introductory talks on the first day of Freshers' Week and I thought I would go for the first one in the morning but I had no idea how to get to campus. Well I could use Google Maps or ask people on the way, but I saw the shuttle bus waiting at the entrance of St Davids when I walked out. NICEEEEE, I thought.
(The university provides a free shuttle bus service between campus and St Davids, that runs for a few hours in the morning and in the evening. It is a 20-minute walk (which is not too bad), but going to campus means walking uphill since St Davids is all the way at the bottom of a series of hills.
If I'm lucky to catch the shuttle bus without being late for my classes, then I would. Otherwise I just walk to campus, which I do more often. Usually there will be a long queue in the mornings especially when it is raining, and I cannot be bothered to wait UNLESS I leave my house early, which doesn't happen lol. Besides, walking is good exercise too so why not.)
The view from my house. This is a section of Brunel Close and that building with a row of pointed roofs is a flat. If you walk along that path towards the end, you will be in Kingdom Mews and the St Davids train station is just opposite the entrance.
These are the houses opposite my row. My house looks exactly like that.
House 5!
There were a number of talks i.e. welcome talk, exchange talk, visa talk etc going on throughout the day. This was one of the talks in the super huge Alumni Auditorium in the Forum (the main hub of the university). I have found the fun in rotating those comfy chairs :P
I also joined a campus tour and met Mia, a Russian girl, and got to know a bit about Russia and her culture. I had lunch together with her, on one of the benches outside enjoying the cool weather. Look at the trees as they are just about to change colour, how pretty!
For lunch, I bought the meal deal at the Forum's Market Place. It costs £3.49 for a sandwich, a can of soda and a bag of crisps. I didn't want the soda and crisps but it was only a few pence extra than getting the sandwich on its own so why not. My mind automatically converted the £ into RM and straightaway sent an aching pain through my heart. I only found out much later that the shop also sells various pastries that are less than £1 each (asdfghjkl).
I went for the international student shopping tour where the people from the Welcome Team took us to the city centre and pointed out where we can get our groceries (there is Tesco, Sainsbury's, Iceland etc) or whatever we need, which store has the best student deals and things like that. They also brought us (the Asians that is) to a few Asian mini markets, and there is one operated by a Malaysian! This means having familiar food products close to home :')
Wei Wen was among the few people leading the tour, and I met June from Thailand at the Malaysian food store when Wei Wen introduced us. It was a bit awkward at first and I thought that we would never meet again, but it was actually the beginning of a friendship (gosh, so cheesy!). As we were about to leave, I think Wei Wen bumped into Chris so that's how I met him.
St Davids Hill, on my way home.
I followed the signboard to the train station and got lost at the bottom of the Impy (The Imperial pub, as fondly known by the locals) and had to ask someone for directions. Turns out that it wasn't far from where I was, because I could see the white tip of the station that the guy pointed out.
That night, I went out for dinner with Aunty Fen Yee and her family. She's my family friend and it is such a coincidence that she is living in Exeter, with Uncle Chie Min who teaches accounting at the university. They brought me to Pizza Hut nearby, opposite River Exe, and we had a nice and lovely dinner.
Meet my new friend Ern Qi!
I was probably the last person to board the coach, and the only seats available are the ones towards the back. I sat alone and was distracted by the strong Chinese accent that seemed to permeate the whole coach for most of the journey, while looking out the window trying hard to believe that I am actually on my way to Exeter.
We arrived in Exeter a little after 7pm, and the coach took us straight to the university and dropped us off in front of the INTO building. Sue, the head of the Welcome Team, welcomed us and gave us a short briefing. We were then separated into the respective vans based on our accommodations. The van took us to the main reception in Birks Grange for us to pick up our keys, before fetching us to St Davids.
St Davids is an enclosed area of two sections called Kingdom Mews (the entrance is directly opposite the St Davids train station) and Brunel Close, with both flats and houses.
The van drove in via the Kingdom Mews entrance so I had to walk through it to come to Brunel Close. It was about 8pm at that time and the sky was completely dark, so thankfully the Welcome Team members were there to show us the way to our respective accommodations.
An unfortunate thing happened when I was pushing/pulling my big ass luggage, I think it was because the road was uneven, and as I was pushing/pulling with all my might, one of the wheels suddenly broke and came off... So I had to stabilise the luggage while pushing/pulling and it was no easy feat because it was terribly heavy :(
Wei Wen from the Welcome Team came with me - I met her earlier back in Malaysia during the freshers' briefing in KL and I didn't expect to see her again, so it was such a coincidence. She lived in St Davids during her first year so she was familiar with the place and brought me to my house. It was seemingly quiet so that probably meant my housemates were out. Wei Wen helped me carry my luggage up the narrow stairs - imagine two petite girls doing that...
The moment I opened my room door, I was so surprised to see a huge room. Because earlier I had saw the room on the website through a virtual tour, and the room looked really small, typical of a student room in halls (just enough space for a bed, study table, bedside table, cupboard and a sink). My room was actually the biggest of the other five rooms, having the width of the house and two windows facing the main road.
Room 2!
I came down to the kitchen and saw a note left by Ed, one of my housemates, saying they went to a nearby pub and even left a number for me to call if I want to. Aww that was really sweet, I thought.
I went up and was about to start unpacking, when I heard them returning. We introduced ourselves, so there is Jenny, Simone, Yajur, Ed and Ben. All of them are British (one is British Indian)! They invited me to play drinking games in the kitchen but I was super tired so I declined, but I didn't want to appear anti-social so I watched them play.
So basically I got introduced to three different drinking games on my first night in Exeter, haha! I can't remember what the others are but one was especially interesting, called Ring of Fire. It looked so fun and I wanted to join but I was mentally and physically weary that night. Hmm I will make it a point to play it some time! After a while, I went up and unpacked my things and got everything done within two hours.
First night on my own in a foreign place.
Monday 15/9
Here's a zoomed up photo of the train station from my room.
As you can see, my house is really near the train station. I like it though, because it is so convenient when I want to travel. The rumble of the train is not as loud as I had expected, and even though it can be heard quite often, I got used to it after some time until the point where I don't realise it sometimes!
There were some introductory talks on the first day of Freshers' Week and I thought I would go for the first one in the morning but I had no idea how to get to campus. Well I could use Google Maps or ask people on the way, but I saw the shuttle bus waiting at the entrance of St Davids when I walked out. NICEEEEE, I thought.
If I'm lucky to catch the shuttle bus without being late for my classes, then I would. Otherwise I just walk to campus, which I do more often. Usually there will be a long queue in the mornings especially when it is raining, and I cannot be bothered to wait UNLESS I leave my house early, which doesn't happen lol. Besides, walking is good exercise too so why not.)
The view from my house. This is a section of Brunel Close and that building with a row of pointed roofs is a flat. If you walk along that path towards the end, you will be in Kingdom Mews and the St Davids train station is just opposite the entrance.
These are the houses opposite my row. My house looks exactly like that.
House 5!
There were a number of talks i.e. welcome talk, exchange talk, visa talk etc going on throughout the day. This was one of the talks in the super huge Alumni Auditorium in the Forum (the main hub of the university). I have found the fun in rotating those comfy chairs :P
I also joined a campus tour and met Mia, a Russian girl, and got to know a bit about Russia and her culture. I had lunch together with her, on one of the benches outside enjoying the cool weather. Look at the trees as they are just about to change colour, how pretty!
For lunch, I bought the meal deal at the Forum's Market Place. It costs £3.49 for a sandwich, a can of soda and a bag of crisps. I didn't want the soda and crisps but it was only a few pence extra than getting the sandwich on its own so why not. My mind automatically converted the £ into RM and straightaway sent an aching pain through my heart. I only found out much later that the shop also sells various pastries that are less than £1 each (asdfghjkl).
I went for the international student shopping tour where the people from the Welcome Team took us to the city centre and pointed out where we can get our groceries (there is Tesco, Sainsbury's, Iceland etc) or whatever we need, which store has the best student deals and things like that. They also brought us (the Asians that is) to a few Asian mini markets, and there is one operated by a Malaysian! This means having familiar food products close to home :')
Wei Wen was among the few people leading the tour, and I met June from Thailand at the Malaysian food store when Wei Wen introduced us. It was a bit awkward at first and I thought that we would never meet again, but it was actually the beginning of a friendship (gosh, so cheesy!). As we were about to leave, I think Wei Wen bumped into Chris so that's how I met him.
St Davids Hill, on my way home.
I followed the signboard to the train station and got lost at the bottom of the Impy (The Imperial pub, as fondly known by the locals) and had to ask someone for directions. Turns out that it wasn't far from where I was, because I could see the white tip of the station that the guy pointed out.
That night, I went out for dinner with Aunty Fen Yee and her family. She's my family friend and it is such a coincidence that she is living in Exeter, with Uncle Chie Min who teaches accounting at the university. They brought me to Pizza Hut nearby, opposite River Exe, and we had a nice and lovely dinner.
Meet my new friend Ern Qi!
After dinner, they drove me around campus and showed me the short cut from my house to campus. Suddenly information overload as I tried to remember all the directions (I'm really not good at it), plus it was completely dark and you know how a place somehow looks different in the daytime compared to nighttime. Wasn't sure if I could remember and recognise the roads the next day...
Came home and looked through the freshers' guide booklet, where it has a complete schedule of all the activities and taster sessions held by different clubs and societies happening throughout the week. There were so many that I was interested in and I badly wanted to attend all of them, but unfortunately many of them clashed with each other :(
Tuesday 16/9
Malaysia Day! Missing home very much especially on this day. Walked up to campus for the first time - gosh it is so hilly. I managed to get to campus without getting lost, achievement unlocked! The 20-minute walk climb uphill left me breathless AND sweaty; it IS literally hiking everywhere in Exeter as this lovely place just has too many hills.
Took the shortcut that Uncle and Aunty showed me the night before.
This is considered the main entrance of the university. This is one of two ways that I could get to campus. I usually don't walk through here unless my lectures are in Queen's Building (or when I walk home), in this case this way is nearer. It seems like it is nearer to the Forum as well compared to the other way, but it is much steeper and that is why I don't enjoy walking on this road.
Spot the university sign.
Most of the time, I walk along Prince of Wales Road to campus. It is further (though not a lot of difference) but not as steep, making the walk more enjoyable. I don't mind the distance, I just don't want to huff and puff and sweat when I reach campus!
I also prefer the view here.
I realised that the skin on my nose area was beginning to peel - because of the weather - and I kept forgetting to apply lotion.
Took the shortcut that Uncle and Aunty showed me the night before.
This is considered the main entrance of the university. This is one of two ways that I could get to campus. I usually don't walk through here unless my lectures are in Queen's Building (or when I walk home), in this case this way is nearer. It seems like it is nearer to the Forum as well compared to the other way, but it is much steeper and that is why I don't enjoy walking on this road.
Spot the university sign.
Most of the time, I walk along Prince of Wales Road to campus. It is further (though not a lot of difference) but not as steep, making the walk more enjoyable. I don't mind the distance, I just don't want to huff and puff and sweat when I reach campus!
I also prefer the view here.
I realised that the skin on my nose area was beginning to peel - because of the weather - and I kept forgetting to apply lotion.
International student clearance was in the morning, and I also registered with the health centre in the university. When I was filling up the form, one question that baffled me was: How much amount of alcohol have you consumed in the past week and month? ... Interesting.
I have noticed that UK keyboards are so weird. Or shall I say, different. I wanted to access the university's web portal and I was 100% sure I entered the correct password, but access was still denied after multiple attempts. I was so frustrated and then I decided to look at each key individually while I was typing my password, and then I saw that it isn't the @ symbol on the number 2 key. Instead the symbol is placed at a different location... a few letters were jumbled up too. And I thought there was something wrong with the system...
I went to a contemporary dance taster session, and it was really good. I hadn't expected that many people to turn up - the room was almost packed. I like how the head dancer conducted the session in a professional way; I don't really know how to describe but the feel was completely different than the classes I took in Monash.
I didn't join though because it was too expensive. I think the fees was somewhere between £40-60 per month... Anyway, when I went to the toilet to change, I noticed that there was a mini condom vending machine placed conveniently on the walls. I was really surprised to see that (in a university?) - what a huge culture shock - even though I know it is... kinda possible.
This is what the Forum looks like. It is one of the key filming locations for the British television series Broadchurch, and people have said that it resembles Gatwick Airport (though I'm not sure about this). I really love its modern design and how spacious it is.
I bought a cheaper meal deal at the students' guild shop, this time a Cornish pasty, soda and crisps (again) at £2.49. I met Mia coincidentally, she was sitting on the steps outside the Forum so I joined her. We talked about our own countries and the look on her face was of pure disbelief when I told her I haven't seen snow before, when the height of a snow pile is higher than that of an average person where she lives.
In the evening, I went to the St Daivds hall group social at Impy. It was just a chillax session for us to get to know one another - again a culture shock, having a Christian social in a pub complete with drinks! Lol. I got to know a few people like Susan and Nadia, so it was nice. Later we walked to campus for the weekly ECU meeting (similar to CF) at the Business School lecture hall.
Came home and microwaved pizza from last night for dinner heh.
Wednesday 17/9
On the way to town.
See how crazy the hill is?! There is no problem walking down but definitely not up.
Queen's Building, where my film lectures are held in. It houses the film and languages department.
More hills in the distance. I love the view from up here.
The face of the clock glows in the dark, which is quite cool.
Coming out from the back entrance of the Forum.
This is one of the many hills on campus, called the Forum Hill. It doesn't look that steep in the photo...
I joined the Italian Society for lunch because there was FREE pizza (1. so Malaysian/Asian, 2. yes pizza again... 3. anything for free).
I was the only Asian in the group, so I was kinda worried and asked if non-Italians can join the society lol. Turns out that the guy I was talking to was British. Anyway, I don't remember where the restaurant is, I just know that it is freaking far from campus.
Finally we're here...
Met a few nationalities such as French, Italian, Australian, Bulgarian and of course British.
Photos taken from the society's Facebook page. It was a pleasant meal and maybe, just maybe, I would join the society.
At night, I went to The Great Hall on campus for an English country dance event organised by the International team. I met up with June, and also met Rista, another Thai girl. It was a fun night of hopping and skipping and repeated dance steps, not to forget having live music! Learnt quite a few moves - so tiring (how do these people have so much energy!?) but it was very interesting!
There were some really cool performances as well.
Thursday 18/9
Had my college induction at Queen's, to confirm the modules that I will be taking for the year. Found out that I couldn't get some of the modules I wanted i.e. The Holocaust, Genocide and Society, and some film modules, because the classes were already full. I didn't know they have a limit to the number of students in a module, but I guess it makes sense because you don't want one class to have 100 people while another with only 10 people.
Was quite upset about it because I really wanted to take that holocaust module. I wish my college induction was earlier but anyway, what's done is done. I had to replace with other modules instead, and had to send a couple of emails to Monash to get my course office to approve. So troublesome.
Loving the autumnal colours! That's the Northcott Theatre on the right, next to The Great Hall.
The main entrance of the Forum, which was officially opened by the Queen in 2012 (no wonder it looks so new).
A cute cottage inside the compound of the Impy.
Later that night, I went to the International Society's meet and greet at Las Iguanas. Planned to walk there with June and Wei Wen, and June brought her new friend Harleen, and that's how I met this cheeky little Korean.
We were one of the first few people who arrived, and was led to the top floor where the society had booked the whole area. After chit chatting with a few other people, we decided to get some food but it is quite expensive eating there so we went to Subway, which is a few doors away.
After our satisfying meal, we went back and saw a huge queue in front of the restaurant. It seemed that people were trying to get to the social but the place was too packed. We somehow made our way upstairs and whew, I could hardly breathe with so many people around me. Met a couple of Malaysians there as well, like Yee Chin...
It looks more like an Asian Society gathering instead lol.
We got a free rum and lime cocktail after filling up a membership form or something like that, and got a discount card as well. I just took a few sips of the cocktail because it tasted so bad.
Friday 19/9
Went to open my bank account at the Natwest branch on campus, and then went grocery shopping for the first time since I got here (I actually have no idea how I survived until Friday without shopping for food...). Bought lots of stuff at Tesco so I took the bus home (£1.60 one way) because I had too many bags to carry.
Looks unappetising but who cares, as long as it is edible.
My room with everything in place now. Please ignore my bed sheet and blanket because I brought these old ones from home (and of course I won't be bringing them back) so I couldn't care less about the colour.
Saturday 20/9
So after a week of taster sessions and socials, it was time for the clubs and societies sign-up fair. There were so many that I wanted to join, like the baking society, chocolate society, Disney society, Sherlock Holmes society, forensics society, Italian/European society, Out of Doors society, Hide and Seek society... There are just too many to choose from - how I wish I could just join all of them!
It usually costs £5 to join a society, but sports clubs generally require more. I joined the International Society (and got a free Arena nightclub membership card lol) and the Evangelical Christian Union (ECU) so far, and for the rest I decided to just join the Facebook groups for now and attend any meeting that I can. I think I was being too optimistic in wanting to join a few societies, because I don't think I will after all, taking into consideration the monetary factor heh.
I kinda like the Forum's ceiling!
June took me to her accommodation in Holland Hall (the poshest accommodation in the university, they say). The view from her room :O
Ermagerd the view is so gorgeous here, even when it is covered in mist. I heard that to get a room with this view, one has to pay a few hundred pounds extra...
It is just too pretty for words :') Sigh I'm completely in love with the English countryside.
At night, Aunty Fen Yee fetched me to her house for dinner. "Babysitting" Ern Qi while Aunty prepared dinner haha.
Had chicken rice - no words can describe how happy and contented I felt. So blessed to have Aunty cook yummy Malaysian food!
Sunday 21/9
Oats for breakfast - simple and healthy (to be honest, it's my least favourite breakfast food).
Went to the ECU church search in the morning, where they gathered at the roundabout in front of the Business School. How a church search works is that student representatives from the many different churches in Exeter will introduce their church, and if you are interested, you can go with them to attend the service, usually with complimentary coffee/tea and some snacks during the fellowship. It is a great way to meet new people too!
The first church I visited was River Church, because the guy said that it is a charismatic church and I thought I could try it out since my home church is charismatic as well. The people were so kind, they brought us to Boston Tea Party (not far from church) and treated us to coffee and cakes before service :')
Service was awesome; a black lady was leading worship and as most black people have a talent for singing, she sings so incredibly well! It is evident that she is so pumped up for God, with her sweet but powerful voice filling up the place complete with frequent hand gestures. I really like how she brings the congregation into an atmosphere of praise and worship. I was familiar with the songs as well, as there were songs from Planetshakers, Hillsongs and the like. The guest speaker was a Scottish pastor who was really funny (one of his jokes was about the Scottish independence), and people were generally friendly.
After service, I went and bought some more groceries since I was already in town. This is the High Street, which is the main street of the city.
Got a packet of mint humbugs because I was curious about the taste. It is just normal boiled sweets I guess.
A welcome gift from River Church hehe. First time trying it and it's so goood.
Aunty Fen Yee gave me a huge bowl of chicken rice from the night before :')
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So one week has gone by just like that. First week has been really busy, since I was out quite often attending as many taster sessions as possible, and also sorting out my modules, confirming this and that etc.
I had pasta for four days in a row (currently haven't used my rice cooker yet) and I'm genuinely sick of it already. My inner Asian self is screaming, I NEED RICE!!! ... Which is surprising because all this while I'm more of a Western food kind of person, and my favourite food is was pasta (lol).
Also there are giant spiders here (why oh why) and they seem to crawl/float around on their long thin legs... I think they are called daddy long-legs (I don't know why it sounds super familiar to me, the only reason I can think of is perhaps I have read about it in the Enid Blyton books when I was young). Apparently it is their mating season now, so it is common to see them in the house (I should probably close my windows). I thought I had escaped the giant moths phenomenon in Malaysia, only to be faced with an even worse situation over here...
For now I'm enjoying the cool weather and walking. I love how it is completely safe to walk on the streets even late at night. Exeter is considered one of the safest cities in the UK, probably thanks to the population consisting of a majority of old and retired people. There is no need to fear at all but of course I will still be aware of my surroundings when I'm walking home alone at night.
