Time for Home

My adventures in England are quickly coming to a close.  Here I am, with seven days left. There are so many things that I've not yet done. I've not seen nearly enough. I didn't even make it to Scotland, never mind all the way to Loch Ness! Prince Harry has been in New Zealand almost the entire time I've been here, so there's no way I could have met him. (Ignore the fact that I wouldn't have been able to anyway, because he's WAY out of my league...)

But despite all the things I haven't been able to fit in, I've managed to see and do so much. I've made amazing friends, whom I'll miss terribly when I have to leave. I've gotten to know my family really well, which has been a huge blessing.

I've explored Paris and London; witnessed a foreign election; been a part of the celebrations for the new royal baby's arrival. I've seen mountains and caves. I've been to the sea. I've partied with some amazing people, and attended some very interesting classes.

I've seen Plague towns, old roman towns, and the Home of the Beatles; walked the same streets as Jack the Ripper; I've seen some of the magic behind Harry Potter. I've stood where Anne Boleyn lost her head.

These things are all amazing, but it's time to go home. My little brother has tripled in size since I've been away, And I hardly recognize Robert. I miss cuddling with my dogs, and I even miss being picked on by Dad. I miss the quiet of rural Missouri. You can't see stars here, it's too bright. I miss DeAnne and Lacey and Jena. I'm excited for my week in D.C. with Josiah.

It's sad to be leaving here, but I have so much to look forward to when I get home. And it's just time.

A Birthday to Remember

When I woke up this morning, on my birthday, I was both excited and very sad. This is the first time I've spent my birthday away from home and my loved ones, yet one can't NOT be excited on one's birthday.

I woke up not expecting a huge celebration, or gifts, or anything really. But when I came downstairs, there were a couple "Happy Birthday" banners on the walls. There was a giant balloon tied to my usual chair at the table. Ray and Susan surprised me with a gift; a Willow Tree figurine that is completely appropriate for the situation.

Forget-Me-Not

Andrew and Charlotte got me this book, which is absolutely pointless (obviously) and amazing. I can't wait to use it. 

Then I was gifted with a beautiful necklace with a Blue John stone, which is mined locally in Derbyshire (which is the only place it's found) and looks something like this:  

The most amazing gift, though, was that I finally got to meet the rest of my family. Not all of them, there were a couple who couldn't make it, but most of them. It was absolutely amazing; a bunch of strangers came to celebrate my birthday, and they welcomed me completely. They were so wonderful,  all of them. I realized how lucky I truly am, to come to a foreign country and have people who want to meet me and get to know me. They didn't ask questions or judge me. They were family, right away. 

Back rows: Charlotte, Andrew, Paul, Susan, Ray, Kaan, Maureen, Irving
Kneeling: Tulin, Kaya, Me, Lindsay

And that was the best feeling ever. 

Nothing Exciting to Post

Sadly, I've not done anything in the past week worth mentioning. I've been very busy with schoolwork the past couple days, and I'm sorry to report that this trend will continue into this next week. I have 3 essays due these next two weeks, and as much as I would like to, I can't slack on my studies. I'm hoping to finish my essays early, and maybe plan a day trip for next weekend. I'm not sure where I want to go though; any suggestions?

I also plan on exploring more of Manchester this next week. I've not hardly been anywhere except the university. Maybe I'll make my way to the Northern Quarter, where there are supposed to me a lot of vintage shops and boutiques.

I'm very excited about my upcoming Easter break though. I'll have 3 weeks to do as I please. I'll spend one of those weeks with family. Susan and Ray said they would take me around Wales to see all the old castles. I also hope to make it up to Scotland. Francine, Katia, and I are planning a tentative trip to London at the tail end of the break. I'm very excited for London! I might be going more than once, too.

Then after Easter, it will be my birthday. I'm still very upset about having to spend my birthday away from home. This will be my first birthday that me and my best friend, DeAnne, (whose birthday is the 18th) will spend apart. Since meeting in second grade, we've always been together for our birthdays. I'm sure it will be fine though. My friends here will have no problem coming out with me to celebrate!

FOOD!?!

So yesterday, my cousins ,Susan and Ray, (who are the same cousins that picked me up at the airport) took me to an American foods store, AND I FOUND SOME RANCH!! I've been dying for some ranch, and no one has it here. Not even at McDonalds. It's been rough, because I didn't have ranch for my McNuggets. The nuggets weren't the same as I was used to though. They tasted different; not a bad different, just different. Even with ranch, they wouldn't have tasted the same. All the food tastes different, even Subway and Domino's. I think it's because it's their fast food is healthier than American fast food. And what's more, they don't have Dairy Queen or Sonic, and no one understands what I'm going on about when I complain about that. They have absolutely no idea what they're missing without Dairy Queen.

My cousin, Andrew, and his fiancé, Charlotte, also took me out for dinner to TGI Fridays. So it was almost American. It wasn't quite the same, and the loaded potato skins (which are usually my favorite) tasted just slightly off. And it was served with sour cream instead of ranch. But everything was still really good, and I had a great time. Charlotte and Andrew are really great. I'd met Andrew before yesterday, but it was my first time meeting Charlotte, and she's wonderful. She's so sweet, and I can't wait to hang out with them again. They know Manchester really well, and they gave me all sorts of suggestions about places to go and see.

Susan and Ray also told me that they'd take me around to see the sights during my Easter break (which is 3 weeks long!). They're going to take me to Wales to see all the old castles around there, and take me on a couple walks to see the local scenery. They have decent sized hills practically in their backyard (which they call a garden.) Susan is also going to take me around to where my great-grandma Norah used to live during the war.

I'm so excited to finally spend time with my family, and I can't wait to get to know them even more.

Adjusting

I'm having a rough time, guys. It's getting hard to wake up, and go to class, and hang out. I skipped my only class on Friday, and both my classes yesterday. (It's not as COMPLETELY bad as it sounds, they record the lectures and post them online, so I'm still getting the material...) I'm feeling very alone and homesick, even though I Skype with my family almost everyday. I'm feeling very down, and don't feel like leaving my room much. I get tired very easily and am starting to take naps too often.

This chart was given to me by the International Center before I left home. And I think I'm right there between 2 and 3. So I know things will get better, and I'm having a great time. The problem is it's not that different, but just different enough that I have to adjust. But there isn't a complete change in culture. Home and here are very similar in most ways, but the little differences are just starting to get to me.

I know the more time I spend outside my room, making more friends, the better it will be and the faster I will adjust fully to my new environment. But it's hard to put that in practice, because I just want to be alone and be in my room talking to family and friends from home.

It's also really hard because I'll be here for my birthday in April, and I won't have a get-together with my family. I'll miss Easter as well, which isn't a huge holiday for my family, but we do have a dinner and get together with all of us. I won't get that this year.

And hardest of all is missing Rodney at home. He turned eight months old yesterday. He's getting so big, and he can stand all by himself now. I know he'll start walking soon, and I won't be there for it. And I miss my dogs. I just wanna cuddle with Penny and have Niko jump all over me, and throw a stick for Copper. I miss cuddling with Penny at night. I don't sleep well here, and she would make it so much better.

And my boyfriend. I miss Josiah, too. We didn't get to be together on Valentine's Day (the first Valentine's Day that we are officially together. We've been together for most Valentine's Days, even when we weren't a couple.) I won't see him until I go home in June. And you wouldn't think that this would be a big deal, since we don't see each other when I'm at home either, but it's been really tough.