'There and Back Again'

“It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” - The Lord of the Rings

This September I stepped onto the road (er, plane) and was swept off to an adventure beyond belief.  I visited over 26 cities and towns in the United Kingdom as well as Paris, Milan, and Venice.  Though I did face some dangerous business, as Bilbo warned - recall Wales - any risk was well worth while.  When people have gone abroad and come back, they always seem to say it was "life changing."  Well, I don't know that I've changed, but rather become.  The study abroad experience, to me, is more a process of self-discovery and growth than absolute change.  But perhaps I'm drawing a fine line definition. Regardless, I feel this experience merits one of those hackneyed lists of "what I've learned about myself and the world" so here you go.  Most importantly, I learned:

• I can live in a city. And not get mugged and die.
• I'd prefer not to live in a city.  The country thrills me (or perhaps comforts me) much more.
• I love seeing the world and new places, but I want to spend time abroad outside of the confines of academia so I do not have to worry about classes and schoolwork.
• Day trips are a wonderful thing.  You can see great places yet sleep in your own bed at the end of the day.
• Trains are a brilliant creation. You see the countryside and are quite comfortable while doing it.
• I can spend a good deal of time by myself and be completely content.
• Planes aren't so bad afterall. (I had a terrible fear of them before this August.)
• I shouldn't buy bulk rice because I don't actually like rice and hated every time I had to eat it.
• Cooking for oneself is a little sad, not to mention portionally difficult.
• One can never have too much fish and chips.
• For any other brilliant discoveries I might have had along the way, read the previous posts! :)

While I'm on a roll of lists, here's a few more for good measure.

What I'll miss about London/England/Study Abroad:

• Traveling to new places and seeing new things all the time
• The convenient and well-run public transportation systems
• The accents
• The well-dressed men, especially the well-fitting jeans
• Westminster Cathedral
• Mushy peas
• My new friends!
• The sheep
• Easy access to shows, concerts, museums, and other exciting things
• The long history that exists in everything from roads to buildings to GRAVEYARDS
• The electric kettle in my flat kitchen

You may ask "What is there to look forward to back at home after so much excitement?" Well, I assure you there are many wonderful things, such as:

• AMERICAN GROCERY STORES
• Driving a car
• Living in a house
• Seeing family
• MUHLENBERG and my friends there
• English classes that don't have boring hour long lectures
• Decorating my room with all the things I bought abroad

And finally, the biggest lesson I learned by studying abroad which I am bringing home with me is to find excitement and interest in the little things, and more importantly, in the United States of America.  When studying abroad, or being in a foreign country in any context, one always finds places to be so interesting.  Every little thing must be documented on camera.  It isn't that the things you're seeing are necessarily unique, but that they're in a new place.  That beauty exists at home too, we just don't have our eyes wide open enough to see it.  Like those women in Matlock who asked "why are you visiting here?" we too don't see what is special about the places we call home.  But there IS something special, and something beautiful, and I'm determined to recognize that from this point onward.  We are all enchanted with Europe and all the diversity amongst nations so close to each other.  But as the Swedish woman I sat next to on the plane home pointed out, it's a situation rather like our states.  State to State, county to county, city to city, the United States is so diverse but we forget that sometimes, thinking it's just the U.S., it's just my own country.  There's so much to see in our 50 states, 3,000 miles, and I now more than ever want to see it.  My bank account needs to recover fast, because a road trip is in my very near future.  People worry about the lack of adventure waiting for them spring semester.  I'm not worried.  Sure, it will take a little more effort because our country isn't quite as well equipped in transportation as Europe. But we have cars and we have spirit! That's the recipe for excitement in the U.S.A.  Spring semester will not see a dearth of adventure in my life.  I will continue to step out my door and go wherever the path may lead.  Get ready, Pennsylvania!

Thank you so much for reading and joining me in this adventure.  I hope you enjoyed it in some way as much as I did.  Merry Christmas and Happy 2013. :)