Some times it feels like I was never away.
It has been 11 years since I left Charlottesville. Somethings have changed, some haven't.
The JPA is still there. My old apartments are still there. I walked through old haunts, everything is still there. The corner, which is special for UVa, is there as is the Mexican restaurant where we used to eat.
On the JPA there are many more apartments. The medical school is undergoing major expansion. An old parking lot has been converted into buildings. The apartments where post-docs and short term visiting faculty used to stay has been converted into something else. The engineering school is being expanded. The view of the mountains from my lab has been blocked by tall buildings and cranes, building some more stuff. The building which housed my bank has been torn down. They are building a new cancer center there.
The department has been renovated. The flooring is new, the walls are white and gleaming. It looks all polished. Alas, there are no seepages. I wish CPWD had the maintenance of the building.
I have to walk 25-30 minutes to the school. It is really not bad as it takes care of my exercise.
