NEEC PART I: NOSTALGIA
April 16 Monday 2007

Nos.tal.gia – noun: a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one’s life, to one’s home or homeland, or to one’s family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former place or time.

In my last post, I wrote that things would be a little different in the UK, in the sense that I’d be flying over as part of a team instead of on my own. One thing I didn’t expect, however, was the wave of nostalgia that washed over me during our brief stay in Manchester.

We were only there a couple of days, but I found myself remembering things I thought I'd forgotten, and experiencing feelings that I thought no longer existed. I certainly wasn’t yearning for days-gone-by, or feeling any affinity with any of the places we visited, but I found myself embracing a strange sense of familiarity that I can't quite put my finger on... it just felt "pleasant".

I really enjoyed spending time with the rest of the team. We got to explore the town centre; eat at a pub that was built in 1552 (much to our delight, seeing as it was older than America and Chris was with us); and eat lots of food together. We also brought our Macs out with us, which in a funny way made me long for Hong Kong.