Durham Cathedral

A breathtaking first sight

What makes a building iconic? The first things that come to the mind of many when looking at Durham Cathedral are a long history, religion, and its association with a globally renowned film (i.e. Harry Potter). It ticks all three of these boxes neatly, so it’s no wonder that thousands come each year to visit this architectural spectacle. But behind all of these traits, there lies yet another reason, a more personal one to me, which reinforces its true glory.

Heading towards the cathedral

Our arrival

Durham Cathedral (Hogwarts) cloisters

That, my dear readers, is university.

If you ever come across a Durham student, I am sure that they will have no trouble in talking about our black Hogwarts styled gowns.  You’ll see these worn mainly during formal dining events. The magic in them fades away after a while (at least it did for me anyway). But there’s one moment in time that still shines brightly within my memory. Like most universities, us first years were officially welcomed by our institution’s chancellor (or principal) before we embarked on our higher education journey. However, I daresay that not many of you ever got attend such a ceremony dressed almost like the classmates of Harry Potter. It was difficult to contain my excitement whilst waiting in the cloisters of Durham Cathedral, especially after I realized they were the ones used in first film.

Hogwarts moment before matriculation in year 1

The gangling freshman

Exiting the ceremony

And with the sounds of applause signaling the end of the ceremony, my three-year adventure into academia officially began.

A photo from year 2

As a student of anthropology, the study of rites of passages was an inevitable topic (one of which I enjoyed immensely). We were taught that these could be separated into three phases. The first and third stages are both distinct, for they mark the entry into the ritual and exit out of rituals respectively. No doubt that the two are equally important. However, I would argue that the middle step, where one engages in a series of activities that eventually leads to a transformed self, is perhaps the most significant. My university journey echoed this strongly. Although I knew I was changing for the better, there were times when I wanted to step back and seek comfort from a nearby shelter (i.e. Durham Cathedral).

Durham Cathedral - graduation day

It’s undeniable that every story must come to an end. Even if we try to savor the last few pages of pleasure through delayed reading, we’ll eventually have to reach the finishing sentence. It’s a difficult moment, one of which was definitely applicable to my very last time at Durham Cathedral. Not only did it mark my last visit, it also signaled the end to my university journey. As I was called up on stage to officially confirm my graduation, I felt a mixture of happiness at my academic success (especially since my friends and family were there to celebrate it with me) and sadness at departing. It was truly a bittersweet sensation.

A different view of the cathedral (year 3)

The important white marquee (for grad merch + photos + food)

Letting go is never easy, but at times it’s for the better. Although my future lies unknown, I walk forward with confidence, determination, and excitement.

Thank you Durham for making me stronger and wiser. It’s been an absolute pleasure. 

Pathway into the unknown but bright

Welcome to my life...

Why hello there...

Welcome to my blog. I'm not a huge fan of long paragraphs so I'll keep (or try to at least) my intro sweet, short and straight to the point. I finished my first year of uni (yay!) in Anthropology (hence the name of the blog) in mid May and was left with more than a month's wait to try to find something to do in the north east before I headed down to London. 

I'd been told by loads of people that there really wasn't much to do around here so I expected a barren and boring wait. However, after looking around through brochures, websites and listening out for the places my friends appeared to have gone that were within the north east range, I managed to gather a list of landmarks and sites that I ought to visit. And even up until today, I haven't managed to visit even a third of the places I'd noted down. The castles, halls and gardens I visited were all magical. 

Every place added a chapter to my internal knowledge bank of England's history and development, every moment was memorable, and every day was a new adventure. And, to be honest, had I'd left the north east immediately like a few of my friends had with the assumption that there was nothing to do, I definitely wouldn't have had such an amazing holiday

So, essentially, this blog is a photo journal of all my adventures I've had in different areas of the north east. It includes, castles, gardens, beaches, parks etc. and also my thoughts during that time and any funny anecdotes. At the end of the day, I hope that my blog will convince you to come up north to see what there is to offer in this stunning and breathtaking environment. At the same time, I hope it'll also inspire you to look at things in a different angle. Often you'll find that my pictures are of quite mundane and ordinary things like huge forests and old buildings, or even just some graffiti on the wall.  But it is that level of simplicity that I crave for and should be craved for by everyone. For when we learn to appreciate the simple things, life becomes more beautiful and enjoyable. You forget about all the things that causes stress like materialism, relationships, the economy etc. It's a rejuvenating and relaxing experience, one of which will free ours minds and help our imagination soar to an even greater level (at least that was the case for me).

So grab your good walking shoes, water bottle, sunscreen and camera, and come with me, the amateur anthropologist, as I take you on my great summer adventure of north east England... :-)

The Amateur Anthropologist :-P