My thoughts about leaving this wonderful city
That I was being dropped off at Manchester uni's Dalton-Ellis Halls by my parents. I remember moving in on a Saturday and being extremely nervous and a little bit sad at the same time. This was my first time properly living away from home and having to live independently, in a new city and without my friends from home. I was lucky enough that one of my best friends from home was also coming to Manchester to study though. I was in Victoria Park and he was in Fallowfield; this was probably for the best as it allowed us to have our own uni experience - we still met up a lot though!
After seeing off my parents, I nervously made my way down to a bar in a halls of residence down the road. I had met one of my flatmates before that and met some more people on the way. Eventually some of the people I met on this very first day would go on to be some of my closest friends and future houemates. Over the next week of freshers, I slowly met more people and had the best time with them. This was a time of much change for me - I had to make new friends, start a biochemistry degree and navigate my way around a big new city.
Fast forward almost 5 years, a biochemistry degree, Master's degree and a job later, I am now months away from leaving the city I've called home for the past few years. A lot has changed since I first came to this city - I've experienced good times and bad, I've made friends for life and made memories with them that will last a lifetime. I've learnt new things, discovered so much the city has to offer and had a lot of fun along the way.
The pandemic did mean I spent several months of 2020 back in Leicester, but for the most part I've moved between places in Manchester for almost 5 years. I started a job back in September as a science technician in a school just for this year. As the summer approaches I am slowly realising that my last day in Manchester is getting closer. Unfortunately due to lockdown restrictions for much of the year, I've not been able to get out and do as much as I would like - seeing friends, eating out and visiting my favourite places.
I don't exactly have a list of all the things I want to do before I leave Manchester, but I would like to go to the Imperial War Museum North in Salford Quays again, see the John Rylands Library one last time and try out a few more restaurants. I will inevitably visit Manchester to see friends and it is only ever a train journey away. It will always be here for me to return - but no matter where I am, Manchester will always remain a special place to me.
Posted by Nathan