How I'll Miss Thee

I will return to the States in a few short days, 4 in fact. This whole experience has gone by as quick as a blink of the eye. Do I have to leave???

I have prepared a list of things that I love about London that I will miss when I get back to the States.

- Not driving everywhere and being able to use Public Transport
- Realizing that the Tube is anything but perfect; there always seems to be a signal failure!
- Fighting my way on to the Tube to get to work
- Hearing "Mind the Gap" and "Cockfosters" everyday
- Standing next to smelly people when they get on the tube in Brixton lol
- Reading an actual newspaper everyday for free
- Saying/Hearing "Cheers!" in a British accent
- Also the use of the words "Mate" (ie. Cheers mate!)
- Being able to get to anywhere in Europe for a reasonable cost
- The sheer size of this global city
- Getting a curry, Chinese, pub grub, and African food all in one place
- Being able to go to a pub and enjoy good beer
- The rain
- The parks (my favorite spot)
- Living in the nicest area of London, and possibly the world
- Great tv shows like "Never Mind the Buzzcocks" and "8 Out of 10 Cats" and "Unbreakable"
- My internship at PRI
- My lunch stipend!!
- The diversity of this great city
- Sandwich Shop!
- Great festivals and markets
- The hustle and bustle on a busy weekday
- Standing on the right, and walking on the left on an escalator
- Paying for things with coins that actually have a real value
- Looking right and then left when crossing a street
- Nearly getting killed by the crazy drivers
- Waiting a half hour in the freezing cold waiting for a bus after a late night out
- Going grocery shopping and buying the cheapest kind of anything
- Saying pounds and pence instead of dollars and cents
- Enjoying the great aesthetics of the Pound, realizing the dollar is boring and all the same
- Having great and valuable friendships with my flatmates
- Seeing James unknowingly make a complete and utter fool of himself haha
- Having a complete life changing experience that I am so grateful for
Addendum to the List (From Mike Kaplan):
1.) fullers london pride
2.) chicken G's
3.) not tipping
4.) landmines
5.) being within a trains ride of heaven (scotland)
6.) fullers london pride
7.) british humo(u)r
8.) neighbor john
9.) why dont you come on over valllllerie
10.) the rocket

That is a crazy long list of things I'll miss in London. It really will be a difficult transition back to America. I am definitely worried about "reverse culture shock" and doing poorly second semester because studying abroad really makes you an awful student. I am worried I'll mistakenly say, "Oh, that cost 23 pounds" and "Back at my flat..." or "Let's take the lift." I can only imagine the looks I will get when I say things like that.

But studying abroad has taught me some valuable life lessons. None of these lessons are concrete ones like learning a new language. They just simply happened and are hard to pinpoint exactly. There is just something about this experience that allows you to learn so much. A major one includes my personal development. I feel that after this experience, I am coming away a stronger and more confident individual. I really feel that I know exactly who I am now and am more confident about my purpose in life. Another lesson is how valuable my family is to me. I honestly cannot thank them enough for letting me have this once-in-a-lifetime experience. Thanksgiving was not the same, but I cannot wait for Christmas. I get to see all my family again altogether. Beware, though, I don't know how thrilled I will be if I have to recount all of my trip! Just read the blog! :) Also my friends are so valuable to me. You guys are my second family and I value every single one of you so very much. I cannot wait until we are all back together second semester. What a great homecoming to look forward to!

I have just under 4 days left, and I hope to enjoy them to the fullest extent. I miss you all and will see you very shortly!

And for your "enjoyment", a few pictures of James :) **(For those of you who do not know of James, you soon will. You just wait!!)

Cheers,
Justin