Vacation or as they so awesomely call it in Europe holiday, is a time to enjoy the fact that one does not have classes nor any type of obligation outside of waking up past noon on any given day and staying out til the sun rises. However, when you’re in a masters program in Europe you still have homework. Or worse yet, final papers. Yes universities are asking students to complete 5,000, 8,000 and even 10,000 word documents right after new years. I personally made it a point to complete my assignments before leaving for said holiday as I knew (and was right) I wouldn’t get any work done during break.
Before I left for England in September my very slick soon-to-be hubby warned me that upon my return to the states I could find myself having a difficult time readapting to life. Allow me to explain… many many moons ago my hunny served in the U.S. Armed Forces. He was stationed in South Korea and Germany for a total of four years therefore his experiences with returning to states was/is very familiar, especially after being away for large periods of time. Now, I being the woman I am thought to myself, oh that was just him; I won’t be like that. Oh boy… how I was wrong (yes, you just read that right). December 12th came around and I was ecstatic to come home. I missed my guy, our friends, our little ones and most of all my job! There’s no going around it, I was BEYOND HAPPY to be returning to work. Just don’t tell my boss. ;) From the moment I arrived I wondered if and how I would notice little differences and out of the blue I was metaphorically smacked upside the head. From the simplest things like taking the escalator (hello! People really should stand on the right so those who want to go around you can on the left!) to going through customs. I’m learning if you’re an American rules really don’t apply to you.
From the way people acted to driving on the right side of the street or even driving on an interstate I realized I had spent the last few months being fully engulfed in a different culture and I MISSED that culture. I’ve become so use to public transportation and 19 roommates that readjusting myself was not only going to take some time but effort on my part. The best way to describe it, its as if I was in one reality, pulled into another and as soon as I started to adapt and become truly comfortable I was taken out of that reality and put back into my old one. While I was home it dawned on me, this IS my life… our life since I share my life with my fiancé, and truth be told but I’m not completely happy with that life nor the one I live in England. I’ve had time to sit and think about what comes next. What changes I can make both for my future and my families.
It’s now January and I’m back in the U.K. for spring term. I’m not going to lie I’ve missed some items from the states and I made it a point to return with some said items. For example, macaroni and cheese (my favorite guilty pleasure), a rather large jar of Jif Peanut Butter and popcorn. Yes I said popcorn. It really is the simple things in life that make me the most happiest and right now its popcorn for those movie nights with friends.
As Buzz Lightyear would say, “to this year and beyond!” Ok, that’s not right but it is a new year and I plan on making it a good year no matter how many times I’m dropped from my England reality to my U.S. one.
