Friday, Apr. 19, 2019 - 7:41 pm.
My sister and my aunt arrived last Monday. The week has simultaneously gone by quickly and slowly with them. It's been great having my sister over, and showing her all the sights, and all the beautiful independent little stores that always made me think of her. I'm making little dreams come true in this regard, because I show her things that I thought she'd appreciate, and her face indeed lights up.
Having my aunt over has been ok, too. Besides her being a little deaf and other minor inconveniences, it's been no trouble. At times it's like having my mom over; they're so much alike in their appearance and way of speaking, which makes my heart swell with joy and sadness. My aunt also insists on paying for everything, and I try to say no, but she's stubborn and I'm on a student budget.
I've taken them to a village and a castle in the Peak District. For this trip, I made us take the wrong bus so we got off in the middle of nowhere to return to our original path. I felt stupid but also I managed to solve the problem nicely. I've also shown them half of the city, with the other half to go, plus London and Liverpool next week.
I'm not *that* tired myself yet, luckily. I was after the first day, and the second, but I've recovered well, all set for the next day. I actually like being out and about, and I've built resistance over the years to walk for hours and uphill (but not both at the same time, please). I can pull these two weeks off, and I think I can count on them getting tired before me.
I've had the chance to talk to my sister alone, too, which has also been most welcome. A bit of one-on-one at home or during our trips while our aunt gets some rest. My sister says that I should tell them if I need a break from them, and they can go on their own. I'm a bit greedy with my time, but I'd set this time aside for her (and the aunt), and thankfully I don't have many commitments right now, other than waiting for the date of my viva, my PhD exam.
I do have a few tasks that I want to accomplish, but I'm not allocating time for them. Some of those are academia-related, which bring me lots of frustration, and others are personal, but those can wait. Spending time with my sister is my priority right now, and until the 29th.