The Excitement of an Office

Today I got access to my PhD office and I am disproportionately excited. For context, I've started the second year of my PhD and I've spent the whole of it working from home so far. I have spent longer waiting for my keycard to this office than I did waiting for the keys to my house.

Getting my keycard today and finding my desk feels like an important part of my time as a PhD. This represents so much more than a desk and a chair in a room: This is an opportunity to meet other PhD students in the building and feel like part of the community that working from home has excluded us all from. It's a chance to see my lab-mates more regularly and bounce ideas off of people. It's a break from staring into my garden and a chance to stare listlessly at a new view when I'm stuck for inspiration. It's an excuse to try every coffee shop and cafe within a 1/2 mile radius (and it looks like there's a lot of them!). It's time to leave the house and break up my week and the freedom to leave my work behind at the end of each day when I head home.

I think I had my prioties well aligned today when I brought only the essential with me: laptop, charger, headphones, a mug, three types of tea and a house plant, because of course you have to make your space feel like your own. I'm also really grateful to be here, doing research that I love and working alongside people I admire. Now I'll wait to see how many more flavours of tea and plants I can bring into the office before people start to comment!