Reflections on a year abroad...

So that night has finally come...the long awaited and dreaded and anticipated night before I leave for America. There were times I would kill for this moment and there are other times where I wished it wasn't true. Now as I sit here writing this, I am a mixture of feelings.

Today was an absolutely perfect last day. First of all, it was BEAUTIFUL in Norwich, as in not a cloud in the sky. That made it both lovely for a last day and makes it even harder for me to want to leave. This morning my friend was making pancakes and invited me over for a breakfast feast. After we were stuffed with pancake goodness, we headed into town for the last time. I wish there were more hours in the day, but alas that will just never be. I wish I had more time to take in the town one last time, but I know that all the time I spent in town will have to suffice. After that I came back and watched the American football team here attempted to play baseball or "Rounders" as they call it here. That was very amusing.

My busy day then continued with a visit to my dear British friend, Kirsty, who I only just met this semester. I walked over to her house and we spent some time talking and eating Dominoes pizza that she ordered for us. The best gift she could have given me though, was taking me to her village and other nearby towns. She took me to see her parents, who live about 10 minutes from Norwich and in a proper English village. All of these moments I cherish because it gives me insight into this incredible culture that I perhaps wouldn't get just living on campus. After that she took me to Wymondham, this beautiful old English village. Of course I forgot to bring my camera and kicked myself the entire time for not having it. We went into this Abbey built in 1107 and just absolutely ancient and stunning. Then, unfortunately, I had to return back to campus. Saying good-bye to her was hard because I wish I had more time here to get to know her, cause I know we would become best of friends.

And my day still continued with seeing my dear professor for the last time. I gave him back all the items he let me borrow for the year. He has been such a great mentor this entire trip and always so generous...that was a tough good-bye.

The hardest good-byes that I am having is saying good-bye to my flatmates and the city itself. Every day for 10 months I have lived in close quarters with my five other flatmates and it is just going to be a bit of a transition not having them in my life anymore. The hardest part is the fact that I may never see some of them again. I really could not have asked for better flatmates. I went out with my girls for the last time at the pub for a drink. I am going to spoil them with lots of treats from America next year, I can't wait. I really hope though that sometime in the future our paths will cross and I will be able to see my friends again. Thank goodness for the internet and skype...

So what will I miss when I leave here you may be asking. First of all, I'm going to miss the people. Despite what stereotype precedes the English about being 'cold' it is totally not true. I have experienced nothing but kindness from English people the entire time I've been here. Despite me having come to England with my "Revolutionary War" attitude about the Brits, I really really enjoyed them and will miss them so much.

I am also going to miss the beautiful countryside and ancientness of the country. There are just some parts of England where you can just feel the oldness. And America has NOTHING on the old buildings of England dating back to the Roman times. And the countryside!! I treasure all those country walks I have taken so much...

And yes, I am going to miss the food believe it or not. My second to last night here my flatmate made me "Toad in the hole" which is basically sausages baked into a pastry. SO delicious. I am going to miss the heartiness of English foods and yes, even their "strange" combinations of ingredients.

I am also going to miss the modes of transportation around England. Nothing compares to English trains and buses and their efficiency and cheapness. I hate to say it, but London's transportation systems blows NYC's out of the water. Speaking of London, I am going to miss how accessible it is being only 2 hours from Norwich. Sigh...

Despite all my melancholy-ness today, I am excited to finally return home after so long. I am looking forward to seeing family members, my boyfriend, friends and yes, America itself. I am looking forward to eating American food, driving in my car and sleeping in my own bed. It will be good to be home.

I have grown so much being abroad...finally feeling like an "adult." I learned to be self-sufficient both cooking and providing for myself and not having a "home" to rely on. It is the true test when you are sick or not having a good day or just want a home-cooked meal when those things are not available to you. You have to learn to rely on yourself and deal with the problems on your own. When I lived in London for a month, it taught me to be assertive and always aware of my surroundings. Even though I still have an awful sense of direction, I can trust my judgment more. One of my proudest accomplishments being abroad is the fact that I can navigate London's tubes flawlessly, as well as the city itself. And even though it was a bit of a struggle for a few months being abroad here, I managed to push through the sadness and loneliness and come out on top.

At the end of my journey I feel like I have succeeded and grown so much. If I had the opportunity to do this again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Were there things I could have done differently? Perhaps...I try to never regret things, but I do regret not spending more time with my English friends because I was scared to get too close. I wish I would have not cared and just dealt with the good-byes when the time came. All in all, despite a few rough months, I have had a great study abroad experience that I only wish I could share with others. Oh I am going to miss it here so much. I hope someday I can return not only to England, but to Norwich, this place that has been so much more than a home to me these past 10 months. I am excited though to start the next phase of my life and see where those adventures take me! For now I shall say, "Cheers England! Thank you for an amazing, bittersweet, beautiful and adventurous year of my life."