When I close my eyes, I can actually smell the spring in the air.

It’s April. Slowly, veeery slowly spring is making its way to my whereabouts. Still bundled up in warm clothes, I shiver every time I see undergrads walking around bare legged in flip-flops. For me it’s still cold, still too unpleasant…

Last time I was in Richmond (which was a month ago) trees were covered with blossoms everywhere. Not a single sign of a flower anywhere in the vicinity here, but when I close my eyes, even on coldest days, I can actually smell the spring in the air.

Lately I’ve been in quite a happy mood. I realize that I have a little more than a month left here. I also decided to take the fellowship offer, which means that great part of my summer will be spent in the Caucasus. I am excited about the trip. I am ecstatic about the fact that I will be seeing my family soon, getting to spend some time at home. Then, come August, and I will be moving back to Richmond - my second home, or as I like to put it, my home by choice, to (hopefully) start classes at Virginia Commonwealth University – a decision that I will talk more about in the next couple of posts.

For those who have noticed, Day In The World is currently running under “Graduate Edition” – a title that I put up there for the fun of it, thinking to myself that it won’t be too long until I take it off again. Now I come to realize that it is here to stay for quite a while longer, about which I am also very excited.

So now I am starting my (grand) countdown until it’s time for me to leave. But before I leave, I think I should devote some time (and space in this blog) to reflect upon the events that happened during the first year of graduate studies at Brandeis and how these events affected the decisions that I am about to make. Despite the fact that this year at Brandeis has not been the best one that I’ve ever had, I think some good has come out of it nonetheless and the least I can do is to as much as account for it.

For now, only one more month…