Sam Malik

Day 6 - Hanoi

2026-10-21T00:00:00.000Z

Ok as to stave off my self-loathing while I'm cooped up in my room for almost a week now, I decided I'm going to log everything that happens in my day.

Woke up and as usual, knee was hurting to the hells and back. I had guests messaging me that I had to get back to, so hobbled over to my desk to answer them from my laptop.

Got ready as usual, and decided to walk around my room for an hour while listening to a book as a way to move around and clear through a list of books I want to read or listen to. Listened to Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman and am really enjoying it. I've always been fascinated by mythologies and legends and this is shaping up to be a really fun listen.

While walking, I decide to do some workouts with whatever I have around me. It's pretty difficult with a fucked knee and no equipment, so we have to improvise - 1.5L water bottle time. If someone walked in on me it would've been a pretty weird sight, me walking around while listening to norse mythology and shoulder pressing a bottle of water. But hey if you do it for long enough you start to feel it :). So i did that for a good 5 minutes straight while alternating arms, then resistance band side steps which FUCKING HURT, but like the good kind. I knew my legs and knees were weak but goddamn I felt it burning after minute 2. Stuck that out then did calf raises in one minute intervals which didn't feel that bad in the moment, but using the stairs after, I feel my calves working.

Following that, I decide to order food from 'LeO TACOS - Xuan Dinh'. I'm finding food a bit weird here, I'm not a huge fan of most of it, but then I'm thinking I just prefer making food myself, or really simple foods. But that might change when I can actually walk around and see what's out there not just on Grab.

Food was a lot better than I thought it would be. Got a beef burrito and some fried chicken and was pretty solid.

Watching Frieren, and man I forgot how much I loved this series. The slow mundanity of it all really envelopes you into the story. It's not just the fancy flashy fight scenes but also slow quiet moments of the trio travelling.
![[[SubsPlease] Sousou no Frieren S2 - 05 (1080p) [6AAEC79A]-00.17.38.051-00.18.26.749.mp4]]

I particularly loved this scene. There's something about magic that I've always felt fell flat, normal spells to locate things are often overlooked as being 'normal' and never look cool.
"I want to figure out what the most optimal mining route is? Yeah just cast this spell and it'll tell you something that you could've never figured out yourself"

But where's the fun in that? Magic is magical - it's cool as hell. so let's make it cool. It takes what is normally portrayed as simple, and gives it the gravitas it deserves. ALSO in this scene Frieren (the elf) is a legendary mage, so what's normal to normal people actually is really fucking powerful, so let's make it powerful.

Introspective Writing 1

2026-10-17T00:00:00.000Z

I don’t like the hospitality industry, especially with their Airbnb and short-term rentals because I feel like I’ve come to distress all of humanity where everybody’s out to get me people stay at my properties and sometimes they take the piss. Sometimes something truly bad has happened today’s situation maybe this is my dad. I’m bringing of me. I think humans are shit people I don’t know.

Deep Dive 1 - Vietnam

2026-10-15T00:00:00.000Z

Watched this video
Why?
I'm here in Vietnam, Hanoi for a month so I think it's worthwhile becoming more educated in the country that I'm staying in.

Geography:
Based in South East Asia, on the Eastern Peninsula. It shares land borders with China to the north, Laos to the North West and Cambodia to the South West. Across the Gulf of Thailand to the South is Malaysia, and across the South China Sea to the East is the Philippines.
The Capital city is Hanoi in the North, but that is only the second largest city. The largest city is Ho Chi Minh City in the South, also known as Saigon.

What does fire mean to me

2026-10-03T00:00:00.000Z

What is fire?
Fire is a combination of Fuel, Heat and Oxygen which when combined, will produce fire. If any of those components are removed, the fire will go out.
That is a fact of the world. Without oxygen, fire will suffocate and die. Without fuel, the fire won't have more matter to consume and will run through its resources and die. And without heat, the fire won't be able to maintain its temperature and die. That is a fact of life and a fact of fire.
Now what happens when we compare ourselves to fire?
Well we are humans. We require oxygen, water, food and a climate we can survive in. Without oxygen, we cannot breathe and our body can't do its bodily functions so we'd die. Our bodies are 60% water and without that we would die. Without food, we won't be able to gain additional energy sources so we'd run through our natural reserves and die. Without a climate that is habitable,

July 2026 - Chateau Bonus Week

2026-10-01T00:00:00.000Z

Writing this on 14th September 2026, continuted on October 1st

I drive off the ferry in Caen, follow the roads I once drove in the dead of night the first time I arrived, until I find the fated turn of ‘Chateau de L'Isle Marie’. This sign, ignored by many, is the indicator of my home for the next few months. As I make that left turn in, I’m greeted by the tree-lined driveway that’s near a half kilometre long till you roll up to the castle, in all of its glory. This place was something I never thought I’d see again, nor did I think I’d want to see it again. ‘Why did I come back?’ I ask myself, but that’s cut short as I spy a man coming out to greet me. Kevin. He opens with a hug, which unbeknownst to me, is common. I remember being a bit surprised at this given I don’t know the guy but I figured I’d go with the flow.

He lets me know that he only just got in a couple hours ago and I can tell he looks stressed. Wanting to stand and move about after being sat in a car and ferry for most of the day, I get right into it with him. Kevin gives me the rundown as he shows me how they’ve got things setup and I run around the place with him getting things in order. It all falls pretty natural to me as it feels like an AirBnb turnover, just in a castle. That evening I realise I’ve barely eaten and everything’s closed, so I pull out some tofu I have in my car cooler and have that as my first meal at the Chateau. It was a weird feeling. The place was empty aside from me and Kevin. I didn’t really know what I was doing but I knew people were stressed. So I just cracked on with getting the place ready.

Continued...

The next day, guests arrived one by one throughout the day. There would be 13 of us total, Becca, Bex, Joe, Christine, Dan, Emily, Valentina, Kelsey, Maggie, and Kevin, with Jeanne and Atoosa arriving slightly later. The day was still hectic with getting things ready, I'd go up and down the staircases an uncountable amount of times, and little did I know that it would continue that way. People would arrive but Kevin handled all of it, leaving sporadically throughout the day to pick people up from Carentan train station, a 17 minute drive away. I made small talk with people in passing, but it was nothing I put much effort into - the menial 'What do you do?', 'When were you last here' questions that I asked for the sake of filling the silence. Of course I was there as a volunteer so to the guests I'm just part of the staff, and I was happy keeping it that way. It gave me a barrier I could hide behind that would 'keep myself safe'.

Later in that day, Kevin was telling me we had to prep an Apero, and of course I said sure let me know what you need, but in reality I had no clue what an Apero was - and didn't care to ask. To me, it was just a task, like any other, and can be figured out in the moment. Fast forward a couple of hours, and I'm in the fridge with him making a big mix of bitesized snacks - deli meats, cheeses, hummus, nuts, m&ms, you get the idea. To me it was a weird business like snacking board we were making, and I made it weirdly formal in my head. Turns out this was an extremely informal chateau tradition whenever a new group arrives to get to know each other.

During the Apero prep, Kevin comes in stressed - he has a pickup to do but Kelly (the white blue Kia that's the dedicated Chateau car) has run out of battery and won't charge in time. He asks Maggie, another resident who came via car but I can tell he feels bad asking her so I jumped in and said I can do it in my car. He's sceptical but I assure him it's fine, and I dump my bed mattresses in the gym and head off to Carentan. I'd been there before in March when I went to visit a friend in Paris, so it was very comfortable for me. At the station, standing there is Dan with his luggage and guitar.

Up until this point, the main people I spoke to were Kevin and Rosie, the 2 people who had met my brother. And in my eyes, I'm being compared to him all the time. This was something that would be reoccuring for a large chunk of my time at Chateau

Dan jumps in the car and we make the usual talk, and the topic of siblings come up, so naturally I mention Ibi, and lo and behold, he had heard his name in passing just a couple days prior. I of course laugh it off but it makes this everlasting

I’m in a castle and living with complete strangers. I’m helping run the place, but it just feels like a big house to do chores in which is really chill. I had this feeling of I don’t really know how to act or what to do, but it started to fall a bit naturally.

There were moments where I felt like I didn’t know what the correct answers were to things, or if I should do a certain thing or not. But I had decided to just jump into everything head first. I guess my curiosity was pushing that forward. Deep down I felt that I needed to do things that would lead to growth – I didn’t know what growth it would be, but it would be growth nonetheless.

The first d

On the first day we had a family meeting, where I suggested a game of Dungeons and Dragons if people were interested. I’d never hosted a game of D&D before, but always wanted to. I figured, like everything else, I should jump into things and see where it leads me. I did end up lying/twisting the truth here by saying I’ve DM’d before – I don’t know why I felt the need to do that. Maybe embarrassment?

Continued writing on 1st October 2026

Final night at Chateau

2026-09-29T00:00:00.000Z

The final night. I've sat here thinking about what to write for hours. Its only been 3 months. The whirring of the dehumidifier. I think I like it when it rains followed by until I found you. The creaking of branches and hoots of barn owls that have scared residents shitless. The familiar clean air with the slight must of this old manor. I sit here thinking of those before me, watching out of this green frames window into the nothingness beyond - night enveloping the trees I stare at. The droop of my eyes - is it from the tiredness of the day or the emotions swirling in me? All of this careening me towards the question I've asked countless times before; pacing the gravel stones with the soft crunch around the chateau.

'Why did I come here? And why did I stay?'

Was it the curiosity? The escapism of leaving it all behind? The thrill of adventure into the unknown? Something about this place clawed on to me and didn't let go. My knee bounces as if it can feel the answer staring at me in the face, as my whole chest is rocked by this movement.

And if we should die tonight, then we should all die together. Raise a glass of wine, for the last time.

The song that accompanies my childhood. That kept me company by countless fires. That takes me into that deep fantasy world I yearn for.
Tears well. My throat dry with the cold air hittnig my silent karaoke session. I think this is it. Or part of it at least. This place felt like a fantasy. But not in the ways written in stories. I spernd my days roaming a castle, with the same 25 residents. I can lie in the grass all I like.

'I'm never going to see this place again.' I softly say through a hoarse throat, thats one stage away from crying. A place so beloved by many.

Goodnight

Re-entry into Photography

2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z

In the past, I've dabbled with photography. I've always found found photographers such cool people, to be able to extract such visually stunning features from places. Yes sometimes the place itself will sell itself, but at other times, things that are seemingly normal places, they can make it seem cool.

Well at Chateau Coliving, I met this amazing gem of a person called Beth (if you read this, hi :) ). While I could mention many cool things about her, I want to keep this concise - she travelled with a camera and one of her hobbies was taking portraits of people. We did a photoshoot together and it was a blast.

It started off with her having just done a photoshoot with another friend and the lighting was really good, so she ran in to see who else would be down for a photoshoot session so I thought, 'fuck it lets go'. My clothes were a bit shit so I ran upstairs to change into something half decent, and saw some of my accessories; a brown shawl and my random comic con finds of a leather bound flask and leather pouch. Not really thinking about it, I grabbed them thinking 'hey we might be able to do something cool with them'.

We get outside and get to taking pictures and it's a vibe.

But I quite quickly realised it would be more fun if I put my getup on so I ditch my over-shirt and get into my 'costume' or whatever else I'm meant to call it. Honestly I just wore those whenever I felt like it for the vibes.

Lots of running around to get nice shots with nice lighting later, followed by a quick break to rub dirt on my face (hey it could've looked cooler so who am I to say no) we finished the photoshoot and it was one of my favourite days that month.

Ok now I know this was none of my own photography here but I wanted to include the added context.

So jump forward a couple weeks, and I ask Beth if I can borrow her camera. I mainly asked out of curiosity of using a newer camera as the one I used as a kid was very limited. And these were my favourites from the shoot

I wanted to get a nice picture of the fire, and spent most of the night messing with settings to see how it could turn out. It took me a while to get settings that worked with the darkness of night while still seeing features of fire but even once I got it, the photos just looked a bit boring. There was no composition, yes it's a picture of a fire but nothing gave it justice.

I then saw someone put their wine glass down, and a couple shots later I had this. I love the orange gold glint on the glass, how you can feel the raw power and heat from the fire, but the glass quells it, and gives it more of a cosy yet sophisticated vibe.

This one I liked for how the composition attracts the eye down the bath to the second set of arches, and how the leaves frame the arch. It gives beautiful yet abandoned vibe to me, and I love it. Something about this area at the Chateau always intrigued me, and I think this shot reveals the beauty I loved about it.

Now this one wasn't really meant to be anything - it was me messing with camera settings to see what worked. But every time I looked back through my camera roll, I would stop and look at this. Something about the loneliness of it emerging through rocks just feels unique to me.

Yes this is probably a weed, but seeing it sprout from a random rock wall makes me feel something. I can't really pin down what, but I do like this shot. Maybe its the texture of the stone aswell? How intricate it all is, and the countless days I spent trying to 3D recreate stone textures at university when the reality is so small and intricate it could never hold up to the real thing. Huh...

Eclipse 2026

2026-08-12T00:00:00.000Z

This was the day of the eclipse and I almost drowned so I figured I'd write something about what happened.

We got to the beach and I felt pretty good. After the beach from the day before with Atoosa and Kevin, I was pretty confident in heading out into the water for a bit on my own. Yeah the waves were big, but if I just get through them they’ll ease off and calm out.

So I headed in and noticed that I could still feel the sand below me for a fair bit and felt chill that I could just walk back if needed. Went a bit further till the sand stopped, and figured I'd just float there for a bit. Laid back and watched the sky and saw the first clipping of the sun from the eclipse.It was about that time where I decided I should probably head back but as I went upright and looked around, I realised I was really far out. No worries, I'll just start my swim back.

Started swimming and was in earshot of the other people in the water so I felt pretty confident of heading back. Deciding it was chill, I went back on my back and swam like that in what I thought was towards the shore.

I looked over my shoulder a couple times and thought, "huh, I'm still going further right to the cliffs" so I figured I'd go parallel to the shore to get some distance away from the cliff. At that point I felt a bit winded, nothing major but felt that I should definitely get out now rather than waiting for me to tire more.

I swam for a bit and did see the cliffs getting further away so the going was good and thought to start turning towards the beach - in theory that would be the quickest way back. I noted the cliffs there and the thought of hitting them got into my head so I figured, hey time for a workout let's push to get back sooner.

It was probably 5-10 minutes after this that I started to realise I was barely moving. There was this silhouette of a plant in the water that I kept seeing come back to me. Thinking I must be mistaking it for another, I looked to the hills on my left to note a point on there and use that as a benchmark of how fast I was moving. Another 5 odd minutes of swimming after, I realised I was in fact, barely moving and that spot was in the same position.

I think that was the point where I hit my oh shit moment. I was out here, not even in line with the beach and more on the cliff side, with no one around me, and the tide taking me towards the cliffs rather than the beach.

Running through my brain, I went through loads of scenarios:

With the eclipse happening if everything turned dark I would be truly fucked
If I let myself float, I hit the cliffs, and I've heard enough about that situation to know I'd be fucked
If I keep to my current swimming pace, the tide would keep me in the same position and I'd just tire out and be fucked
Worst case, tides get worse and they'll rush me to the cliffs - best case they even out and I can swim the calmer tide back to the beach.

I wouldn't be able to control the way of the sea, so the only thing in my control was to just give it my all to swim parallel to the beach and away from the cliffs.
So I start swimming as hard as I can. Just chanting in my head, If you panic, you die. Started as hard as I could with a breaststroke, till my left leg cramped. Then switched over to my back to give my leg a chance to recover while pushing with my arms as hard as I could.
Again, barely moving, I try to switch back to a breaststroke but then feel my other leg cramp. Pushing through that, I kept that up - but at that point I was going closer to the cliffs. So with my legs cramping, I thought fuck it and tried a doggy paddle and just lunging my stiff legs out there trying to move.

I don’t know how long that stint lasted, but I realised it was all futile. It was taking all my effort not to move closer to the cliffs but I wasn't moving away from them either. I got back upright treading water to note the situation again. Swimming was out of the question - it wouldn't get me to safety. Floating would buy me some time, but would eventually lead me to hit the cliff. I thought, maybe I could get to a safe part of the cliff, maybe break a few bones but have a chance of getting out of here.

Realising that was a shit option, I look around me and see nothing nearby - a couple boats but how the hell would I get their attention. That's when I notice the sounds around me. Over the screaming winds, I heard the waves. The absolute roar of the waves hitting the cliffs, and the spray of the water from it. The force it was colliding would've meant immediate death.At that point, I realised my only option was trying to get help somehow. The thought crossed my mind, Is it more embarrassing to get help or to die? That had a pretty clear answer, to just shut the fuck up and get help. I try to wave, but with my legs stiff as hell, bringing my arms out to wave just sent me under.

Trying that repeatedly just repeated the same thing. Wave, fall under, resurface, wave, fall, repeat. I saw people at the beach, couldn't tell what was going on. Look towards the boats, don't see any moving. So with no other option, I just decide, I'm just floating on my back to preserve energy and yelling for help as loud as I could.

If the tide takes me in somewhere, I need some level of energy to try and figure that out, so on my back I went just yelling repeatedly help. That was my oh this actually be the end of me. Just lying out here, yelling, not really being able to do anything but hope and pray.

It sounds weird now but I was just thinking about parts of my life. Laughing at the Chateau, exploring rural towns while backpacking Japan. And all the property bullshit to make money. All of that just going to fall away. I felt weirdly calm?, but knew I just had to keep yelling.

At a certain point I look over and see what I thought was a kayak, now know was a paddle board heading towards me and I just got filled with relief. That part after was a bit of a blur of just trying to understand what everyone was saying in French and trying to follow orders.At some point on the paddle board I'm like this is really fucking awkward and ask the guy's name. I have no clue why I asked that and why my brain was going how to make this less awkward. But hey, Seb was my fucking hero and quite literally saved my life.

I get ferried off the board to a boat with this couple, then ferried on to a coastguard boat till I make it back to shore.
Finally get on land and I just want the world to shut up and sleep, but then the ambulance?, fire brigade?, someone gets me in a truck to do checkups with Kevin, Atoosa, and Tracy there and thank fuck for you guys. Anyway, I'm here I guess.

Oh and hey I ended up on a news board :)

https://actu.fr/normandie/barneville-carteret_50031/il-etait-a-bout-de-forces-un-homme-sauve-un-nageur-pris-par-le-courant-pendant-leclipse_64661472.html

June 2026

2026-06-01T00:00:00.000Z

This is me recalling what happened in June. I’m writing this on 14th September 2026.

June was the month everything kicked off in this next chapter of my life. On the 4th of June, I just finished all the refurbishment work that I needed to do on my house. The house that was meant to become my home for the foreseeable future. The house I’d planned out how I wanted it (though it turns out I didn’t like it by the end 😅) down to the colour. The house I had told everyone I was moving to, and where I was going to host dinners, board game nights, Dungeons & Dragons. It was a house that was mine.

Everything was done. Estate agents had visited, tradesmen come and gone and all that was left was a clean. That same evening, as a celebration, I want to an improv night by Dropout, Make Some Noise Live. It was an event I’d booked in a year prior that happened to coincide with this final bit of work. I went there tired and covered in paint and sat back and just took it all in – the people roaring with laughter, the fun light play and jokes being cracked left right and centre.

Halfway through the show, there’s the intermission. ‘No big deal, I’ll just sit here and wait for it to be resume’ I thought. But then someone next to me started talking to me. And he was talking fast. Clearly a massive fan of the cast, he just went on and on telling me all the inside facts he knew about every person there. A friendly guy, but god I did not want to talk to him. I got up, and promptly told him I was going to get a drink. I could tell he wasn’t the type to get a drink too – as most broke uni students don’t, and luckily, he didn’t join me as I head over to the bar.

Now at this point, I’m realising, I’m heading to a bar in the O2 Apollo, and gods this drink is about to be real pricey. Having been to other events in similar venues, I knew the prices were going to be ridiculous – normally I just go thirsty till the end because why would I spend 3 quid on a drink when it only costs £0.50p to get it at the store. But despite all that, I thought, fuck it, I’ve got money now, and a house that should be netting me a nice pile of cash. I go up to the nicest bar I’ve seen and order a Tango Apple. For 4.5 bloody pounds. I wince but remind myself, ‘hey you’ve never done this before and let’s enjoy the night’. Sipping on my overpriced Tango Apple, I enjoy the rest of the show. For tonight, I don’t need to have a care in the world.

Once the show concludes, I promptly get up, say my curt goodbyes to the people I tried my best to ignore beside me and head out to my car. And on my way there, I remember just saying to myself, ‘It’s over’. The house I’d spent the better part of a year refurbishing was done, and I could sit back for a minute. I drive home and realise, oh gods I’m hungry. I’d last eaten a cold Tesco meal deal at midday and hadn’t stopped to eat something else since. The thought of getting something on the way popped up but the miser in me pushed that to the side. ‘Why buy food when you could just make something at home for less than half the cost?’ But I thought back to the Tango, and decide, this is a day to relax and enjoy. Get the damn food.

Thinking back on this, I think this was the world teaching me something which I’ve come to appreciate. You can spend money on things if you enjoy it. The decision doesn’t have to make sense. It can be a poor financial transaction. But if it brings you a level of enjoyment, why not indulge every once in a while?

The next day, I head back to my would be home. I walk around and notice the things that are still out of place. A poorly filler’d wall here, bad painting there. But I have to decide enough is enough and call it there. Job done. Pack my stuff up, and do a final walk around before I leave for good. The thought of leaving for good gave me so much joy, for this chapter to finally be over. I never wanted to step back into this house again. But through my malice, I decide to take some final pictures. Just to really wrap this up for good. Pictures that I can look back on one day and think, hey I did this. From where it started of a shithole, this is how it’s ended.

I take the pictures and walk out, and knock on one of my neighbours doors. I forget her name now, Carol? Elaine? But nevertheless, she was the best neighbour I’ve ever had. We spoke a lot in passing, I got to know her and her grandson’s Mexican restaurant a 10 minute drive away. Her husband who passed as she lives alone. Her dog Pip who is way too old to be running around the way he does. She was a wonderful human being who kept me company as I did things around my place, and I returned in kind around her home. She’d asked me not to leave without saying goodbye. But with her not being in, and me wanting to be gone for this place as soon as possible. ‘Maybe I should wait for her to come back?’ I had no way of getting in contact with her and no way of knowing when she would return. She helps her grandson out at his restaurant and they’d just had a grand reopening so she was likely to be busy. I turned away from her door, walked down to my car. Got in and left.

Should I have waited? I don’t know. Could I go back and visit, sure. Will I? I have no idea. She could very well pass away before I’m next back in the area. She was a stranger in my life – no affiliation to any business, not me trying to use them for money or them use me. Not someone who had to talk to be because we were in the same university class. Just a complete stranger, who saw me working outside a run down house and decided to chat to me. And someone I may never see again. I don’t know how I feel about that.

I get home and it’s go time now. I’ve got 23 days to get my car and turn it into a camper. I’d barely given it much thought before this but it’s now or never. I get down to business, looking at what I need to fix to get the car operational (because god nothing worked) and crack on. I was still running my board game nights, and I was trying to replace an AUX port which required me to take off my gearstick. Unfortunately for me, I then couldn’t get it back on. So one very sketchy car ride later as I picked people up in a barely functional car without a gearstick (I would not advise anyone try and do that, it shouldn’t have worked), I held the board game night. It was nothing new, same old same old. But now with the daunting feeling of I don’t know when I’ll see these guys again. We’d made plans for board game nights to take place at my newly refurbished house. For BBQs to be held in the small stone outdoor garden. For brownies to be made in the kitchen while we shoot the shit in the dining room. This is all ideas that would never come to fruition.

There was no sadness however. There was excitement. The feeling of something else, another place to go to, another life to live. And as I spent those final moments yelling at my barbarian friends as a vampire count for killing the deal with the bards in the isles, I was happy with how this was coming to an end.

The next weeks went by in a blur. I had full automation to do whatever I wanted without someone breathing down my back, whether that be business partners or my own business self. I went to B&Q to get plywood cut to size, Halfords for fuses, and many IKEA trips to get different sized boxes, of which they never fit and I made £200 worth of returns of mismatched boxes in the span of a week. All the while my parents looking at me confused, as I sketched mad ramblings of how I was going to make this all work. Many days of problem solving later, I was approaching the finish line – whether I liked it or not.

On the evening of the 27th, the day before my 8am Ferry I was done. I did my final pack, cleaned the wood scraps out of my car and was doing a quick oil change; I didn’t know when I would next have access to my ramps to get under my car so I thought one final oil change before I set off. And wouldn’t you believe it, an oil change which I’ve done plenty of times before, went awry. The oil pan had a hole in it, so instead of it pooling in my pan, it was pooling all over my parents drive. And I needed to leave in 10 minutes. Agitated and exhausted, I decide to just deal with the horrible morning to come and leave in the morning. So once I got the driveway cleaned up, a not so restful sleep, I’m saying my goodbyes to my parents home. My home. My city. The place I’d once found so much freedom after leaving our previous home in London to go to university in Manchester. Only to end up back at my parents new home in Manchester, trapped my the same life that I was in before. Yes I’d changed so much as a person from the last time I lived with family, but something about their house gave me so much warmth, and double the amount of grief.

My parents goodbyes are sleepy tearful ones as I awake at 3am to leave. I try to act mournful, I really do. But something about this journey was giving me so much hope and joy. To finally head out, and explore the world. Without anything holding me back. Just me, and my car and the unknown.

The journey over was uneventful. I get on the ferry very sleep deprived, immediately head to my cabin and knock out on the sofa bed they had. This was some well needed sleep, and on my wake, I realise that gods I’ve not showered, and I’m covered in engine oil, wood clippings and just overall dirt. So I take a shower in that cramped tiny ferry shower just in time for us to port in Caen as I go down to my car and drive over to the next destination. A place that I’d been do very briefly in March, that didn’t really make any sense to me. A place where I was meeting 25 people I’d never met before and was going to live with them for the next couple months. A place where I know my brother was known but I wasn’t. I didn’t know it then, but that place would change me in ways I didn’t know was possible. That place was Chateau Coliving.