Novis Newsletter - March Edition
Spring is finally arriving in London (if you see me crying on the street, don't fret, there's a 90% chance its allergies) and the increased sunlight exposure has powered a very busy month
More change, and lots of time in Brussels
I started the month off being back in Brussels to help my mom with her move (and now I’m back in London for good, I mean it this time). This did yield a few treasured wins, such as finding my old digital camera from 2008 (which took almost every photo I have of this month. I love the idea of being able to forget about my phone and still have pictures to look back on but as the undeveloped rolls of film from four summers ago sitting on my bedside table will tell you, the Gen Z in me is used to instant gratification). I expected to feel a bit unsettled boxing up the remnants of my high-school self and seeing the empty apartment, but it brought a surprising sense of calm, maybe because I knew this was a long time coming. I’m trying (with varying degrees of success) to embrace the uncertainty that comes along with post-grad and being in your 20s, and a lot of that comes down to trying to feel excited about all the ways the future can look like in an attempt to drown out the anxiety that comes along with not having things figured out.
St. Paddys in Dublin, ticking off a bucket list item and feeling extra grateful for friends who fill your cup
There’s no better remedy to an existential crisis than spending quality time with the people you love, and a long weekend in Dublin with my best friends from school was just what the doctor ordered. This weekend served both girls gone wild and girls gone mild, with a combination, of Pubs, Clubs, several (failed) attempts to split the G, as well as wholesome hungover breakfasts, hikes and city-council-organised scavenger hunts around the city. We fully committed to the bit with matching green scarves, face paint and headbands. Though spending a St.Patrick’s Day in Dublin had been on my bucket list for a while, I know that with these girls I can have fun just about anywhere, and seeing them feels like coming home. I think sometimes we stay friends with people we’ve known for a long time out of habit, or stay stuck in the people you were when you first met, but this weekend made me realise that there’s something extra special about friends who have seen (and loved and supported) so many versions of you, who don’t need context or filtering, and with whom you can have a friendship that matures and deepens over time. Even then, I know without a doubt that even if we met today and had none of the history, I would still be dying to befriend these girls, and feel very lucky to bear witness to every version of them.
The other 10% of my tears and other highlights of the month
Job hunting is going… for anyone wondering, and I did cry out of frustration for the first time (this happened on a semi-empty overground train, which as far as crying in public goes I think is infinitely more embarrassing than crying on a packed tube, which weirdly feels more private). I know almost everyone goes through this and that the post-grad job-hunting phase is categorically awful, but I’m trying to stay positive and since there are only so many applications you can send out in a day, I’m filling the rest of my time with things that will lift my spirits, or at least make me feel a bit more productive. There’s been a lot of reading this month, and also some exciting books in my TBR pile (I’m a huge Hunger Games fan, and whilst Sunrise on the Reaping did come out earlier this month I still haven’t gotten around to reading it, but expect to finish it in a single sitting this weekend. I’m also very excited about Notes to John by Joan Didion coming out in late April and am actively looking for other people to share in my excitement). I’ve also (once again) gone back to learning Python, and hopefully this time it will stick. I’m still running, and with the nice weather here have re-discovered the joy of planning your route around trying new food spots around the city. On another bright note, I’ve joined a second book club (making new friends outside of uni is serious work) and closed off the month with a Carnaval-themed house party which slightly eased the FOMO from seeing all my friends back home half-naked and day-drunk.
Julia’s March Recs - To Read, To Watch and to Eat
To Read - The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
I read this in anticipation of Notes to John coming out in April, and it only made me more excited for the new release. I’ve been in a Memoir phase recently, and this one chronicles the year after the death of Didion’s husband. I love reading about different relationship dynamics (cue a rave review for Just Kids by Patti Smith) and was captivated by the creative intimacy shared by Dunne and Didion. Honourable mentions for this month are heavy on the dystopian or speculative fiction genre, including Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman and Liberation Day by George Saunders, as well as some feel-good comfort in the way of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (and yes, I am a little embarrassed that it took me this long to read it).
To Watch - The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Marathon at The Prince Charles Cinema
I have wanted to go to one of the movie marathons at the PCC from the second I found out you could spend the night at the cinema, and this was one of the coolest and most wholesome experiences I’ve had in London. To my non-London-based friends, a lotr marathon will never disappoint, but to the ones in the city I beg of you to give this a go, few things will give you a bigger sense of community than spending 12 hours in a packed room binge-watching the best trilogy in cinema history (sorry Francis Ford Coppola). We were armed with lots of snacks, the bar stays open until midnight and the concession stand is open overnight. I’ll admit I did doze off a few times but was brought back to life by coffee, candy and watching Legolas take down an elephant (I was running on minimal sleep and felt like my body was shutting down towards the end). People brought out blankets and cheered at the start of each film and by the end we were all exhausted and laughing at everything, it was very wholesome and the survivors who stuck it out got a group picture at the end. They’re doing a few more screenings in the next couple of months and I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to feel like a kid again.
To Eat - this easy One-Pan Orzo With Spinach and Feta from NYT cooking
I’ve been making this for ages and it’s one of my favourite spring dishes. I love it as a side with some salmon but also works great on its own and is still great reheated for lunch the next day. I would recommend adding way more spinach than the recipe calls for (I usually just dump in a whole bag) and I tend to switch out the feta for goat cheese and add a squeeze of lemon at the end.