First breakfast together! Michele (housemate), Giuliano (Elena’s partner), Jo (sister) and Elena (housemate) enjoying an English breakfast on Sunday morning.

With a couple of weeks until term starts, I’m full of anticipation for the next year on the MA programme in Typeface Design here in Reading.

I arrived in a van full of my things on Saturday with my sister, who helped me get everything here and stayed to meet the housemates. We have a lovely 5-bedroom house near campus, and have met most of the type people who are now here. There’s a couple of other typography student houses within 5 minutes’ walk, so already beginning to feel like a new family.

Unfortunately we’ve had a couple of last-minute drop-outs due to visa difficulties, so there will be 12½ students for the year (the half is a part-time student who is in her second year). This is a somewhat smaller group than last year’s 18 students, who wished us well today as they were departing and handing over house keys.

We’re all feeling trepidation at the amount of work coming up in the next 12 months, with plenty of reading, a dissertation and a practical project to contend with. But we also know we’re going to have lots of fun, support each other (there’s already talk of setting up a study group to reflect on the books we read and share opinions) and get to do some funky stuff (stonecutting, anyone?)

I’ve already had some thoughts about my practical project (more later) and read some of the books on the long reading list, so this week will be catching up with the reading, finishing off my homework tasks and sorting out household affairs. Plus getting acquainted with my new friends over a few bottles of lager 🙂