Well I have officially been home for 3 days, and I already miss London. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I am extremely excited to see my family, friends, and my puppy Lexi. It was great to see my mom, dad, and my younger brother when they picked me up from the airport. I loved getting to catch up and really talk to them for more than a phone call here and there. I missed a lot being away and I love being able to hear about their lives. I loved getting to see my two nieces. I missed them so much and they’ve grown so much since I last saw them! I feel awful missing big events like their birthdays and school performances. I’m excited to see my other siblings and my grandma and aunts, uncles, and cousins in the coming weeks too! My family is pretty close and we love spending time together, so I hated missing out on that while I was away so it’ll be good to catch up and spend time with everyone.
I’ve missed them a ton while I’ve been away, but I’m also incredibly ready to be back in my flat in London. To hop on the tube and go sit in my favorite café. To walk through Kensington gardens. I even miss going to my internship, which is something I would not have expected going into it, but I actually enjoyed all the people there and the work that I did! Plus, I would like to think that I wasn’t half bad at it either. Being home has just solidified my love for London. The time went by so quickly, it’s hard to believe I’ve been gone for almost four months. It definitely hasn’t felt that long.
I learned so much during this semester abroad, about so many different things. I’ve learned so much about myself and I have changed so much in my time in London. I’ve learned about cultural competency and experiencing life in a different context. I’ve gained incredible work experience and have grown professionally because of it. Studying abroad has been an incredible educational experience in a lot of ways, and I’m sure as time goes on and I do different things, I’ll discover more ways London as impacted me and prepared me for different aspects of life, especially professionally.
I was able to do so many incredible things while I was here. From seeing Shakespeare plays at the Globe, to seeing a bunch of nerdy harry potter sites, to traveling to different countries and seeing things I’ve dreamed of seeing like the Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower! I’m lucky to have had this experience and could not be more grateful. I’ve really had the time of my life…maybe more so than Baby in Dirty Dancing, although I didn’t get to dance with Patrick Swayze so who is to say who had the better time?
I’d still like to think it was me. I definitely had the better time.
Anyway, thanks London, for living up to my expectations and for being my home for a short while. Thanks for all the wonderful experiences. I hope to be back soon.