LONG DAYS, LONG NIGHTS
On Friday my month long placement finally came to a close, ending on the positive news that I had passed, much to my surprise and relief. Although there's still a lot of things I need to work on and do differently next time, it was the best news ever, as was it lovely to get the chance to thank the people that have helped me on this part of my journey, and to walk away knowing that's another tick to put in the box. One step closer to the end goal. So to celebrate the good news, the happy conclusion of this month long learning curve, I thought I'd treat myself to a nice little trip to Liverpool. Near enough every day for the last four weeks, I have been embarking on trains headed for Liverpool Lime Street, and yet I have always had to disembark at some point along the way. Close, but never quite close enough. The city of Liverpool, a favourite of mine since I first visited in October 2013 with my family, exactly two years ago, always eluded me. Just out of reach. So when I got the all clear to leave placement at 1 on Friday afternoon, I headed to the train station and finally completed that coveted journey to Liverpool. I finally made it to the edge of the country, to this wonderful northern city filled with lots of the lovely Liverpuddlians just like those I've been privileged enough to meet this last month.
Although the sky was a resolute pale grey, it didn't rain once, unlike the previous two times I've visited. The city was bustling with life, there were musicians playing in the streets, the architecture was stunning as always (I've decided that I'm now a fully fledged architecture enthusiast, you see), the docks were beautiful... I stood and watched the River Mersey rolling out to sea, I took in all the sights and admired how gorgeous they all were, I went from one end of town to the next, I walked all the way up Bold Street, popping in near enough every shop along the way, I had a chai tea latte in this cute Italian cafe filled with the most delicious creations. Although I had a lot on my mind, it didn't matter because it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt free, and it was amazing. When I finally left Liverpool with the sky turning a sweet dusky blue, my long day was about to get even longer, as I headed back to my beloved Manchester to meet my friends at the train station. From there on, the long day transitioned into the most wonderful long night. It felt a bit like in Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, when they spend all night criss crossing the city together, thriving off that impulse of life, youth, and making all these crazy amazing memories along the way.
We headed up to China Town, submersed within all those neon lights, and chose a restaurant that my friend had been to before. We put our faith in our housemate from Hong Kong, who picked some really tasty dishes for us to try, and ate the Chinese way, where everyone shares a variety of dishes together. It was so, so lovely, eating this delicious food, drinking Chinese drinks, laughing rather a lot, having the strangest, most diverse and hilarious conversations, the feeling of being submerged within not only China Town, but the heart of Manchester too. A Friday night spent in my favourite city with some of my favourite people, having fun, enjoying the joys of life and that glorious feeling of freedom. We stayed in the restaurant for almost four hours, as people came and went whilst we stayed talking and laughing, and when we finally decided to leave, we walked through the Gay Village, a part of all the bustling night life, and made a spontaneous decision down Oxford Road to have late night pudding, because why the hell not. So at half 11 we found ourselves tucking into delicious sweet treats and revelling in the spontaneity and joy of the whole night. And walking back home, we were singing, running down the streets, laughing, and it was really, really wonderful. An unforgettable night. The perfect way to finish this little chapter in our lives. And though I know that times will probably get a tougher, and the ride still won't be easy, I can't wait to face the future and what's yet to come. Everything is going to be okay.
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-CAPTURING THE MEMORIES-
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