Brighton Beach Memoirs.doc

So when we were in Italy last month I had nothing planned for after France. By this time I figured we might have had a house in Leamington Spa secured (that turned out not to be the case but we’re getting close to having something for the fall semester). I was at a bit of a crossroads – I didn’t have enough money to keep traveling like I was, nor did I want to dive right back to library visits. While three and a half weeks back at Heronbank would have been cheap, I didn’t want to return to the sleepy Midlands just yet.

So I decided to camp out in Brighton for ten days! The traveling in France was the official end of sightseeing without any work getting done. What I was looking for was a happy medium – a tranquil place to get back into research without feeling like all the fun of summer was over. Brighton is proving to be the perfect seaside backdrop to ease into the dissertation while also offering distractions of a British summer culture – a beach, lots of shopping, a parade, and a stunning pier. It’s here that I’ve spent the last five days getting organized for the August to December write-a-thon.

The place I’m staying at is a residence at the University of Brighton. It’s really quite modern and aside from a few other people in the building, I have the whole floor to myself. The building is a fifteen-minute walk to the sea. My routine has roughly been to get up around 9am, work until 1pm doing school work, and then head down to the beach and do some non-academic pleasure reading. Granted, the beach is no Portugal or Spain – it is composed of pebbles and the temperatures hover around 20 – but it’s a nice routine to have before heading back to more familiar territory at Warwick. After some reading on the beach I usually wander the shop streets and get some supplies for dinner.

In the evenings I have some dins while watching an episode of TV on my laptop, and then get back to finishing whatever work was on the docket for the day. It’s a pretty happy existence and just what the Doctor ordered after six weeks of crazy traveling. I also haven’t been afraid to venture into the city during the night and check out a pub or two. One night I met a fun group of Aussies traveling over Europe – they didn’t have nice things to say about the “beach” they expected to find in Brighton. Another night I met a few local Brightonians named Mark and Lisa at the hopping Saturday nightspot. Lisa was so enamoured with my way of speaking (I think she’s the only one I’ve encountered who thinks the North American accent is extremely cool) that she exclaimed, and I quote: “Please just keep speaking. I feel like I’m talking to a celebrity!” Granted, she may have had a few drinks, but I couldn’t help but laugh.

I’m sure the novelty will wear off, but after six months in Amsterdam and a month of sojourning around the continent, it’s a joy to be around English speakers again – I can eavesdrop, ask questions with confidence, and read grocery labels. It’s the little things in life…

The next five days will be spent sticking to this wonderful routine before heading back to Heronbank for two weeks to round out August. Brighton is proving to be the perfect intermediary between travel and research.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: I’ve never really liked to be around saltwater if I couldn’t swim in it. But with the temperatures moderate in Britain, and the water a bit cool, it has been surprisingly nice to simply camp out on the beach, read for a few overcast hours, and have the saltwater wind tussle my hair. This isn’t a prescription for saltwater, but rather just soaking in some beautiful scenery.