Questions...
And, of course, one of those times is when you've just returned from a five-month stay in England. Being asked these questions isn't a bad thing - I'm glad people care about my time there and how I feel about it. But being asked the same questions repeatedly makes me feel like I have a script to say in response, which in turn makes me feel like I'm not answering honestly. Plus, if I answer differently to one person than I have to someone else, I feel bad. Does that make sense? Maybe?
"How was England?" Do you mean the country of England? (can I say that? Is England a country? Isn't Britain a country? Or the UK? British things confuse me.) Or do you mean the people of England? Studying abroad in England? The experience of living in England? Regardless, this question is so hard. I can't envelop the entire experience in one satisfying word, or even a few. I'm pretty sure no one is asking for an hour-long explanation when they throw this question at me, yet simply saying "good" isn't acceptable. My life is hard.
"Are you glad to be home?" It's not like I'm gonna say I hate it here. How can I, when I have my family, a comfy house, a car, delicious American food? Of course I'm glad to be home! But that doesn't mean I don't miss things about England.
"Did you have fun?" At some points, yes? But it wasn't a five-month long roller coaster ride (or I guess it was. Ups and downs and all that.)
"Did you make any British friends?" Nope, I had a strictly no-British-contact policy. The whole time. Plus I don't ever make friends. (Some of you may be shocked to find that this is not true.)
"Did you meet a British boy?" I met a lot of British boys. Most of them were very nice.
"No, like, did you meet a British boy? *eyebrow wiggle*" Yeah, we're getting married next month. Because, you know, that was on the top of my priority list for going to England.
"Did you do [insert touristy or British activity here]?" Pet peeve: when someone gives me a hard time for not doing something that "everyone should do when they go to Britain/England/wherever." I did what I wanted to do, and experienced it the way I wanted to experience it. For example, I'm perfectly okay with not having gone to a Liverpool football match. I did some cool things, and doing that just happened not to be one of them.
"Did you go to [insert country/city/exotic place here]?" See above. I did go to some pretty awesome places though!
"Will you ever go back?" Hopefully someday :)
Things I Appreciate About Home
--more than one power outlet in my room.
--warm weather. One of the first nights back, I walked outside at night in shorts and thought it was the most amazing thing ever.
--a car. I CAN GO WHEREVER I WANT, WHENEVER I WANT. HA.
--familiar American restaurants. I have a list of places to go. So far they have all been delicious.
--being able to communicate with friends more easily. No time difference, plus I have a phone again!
--things I have at my disposal once again: piano, tv, my books, clothes other than the same 10-15 shirts I've been wearing over and over again for the past five months...
--space to roam in my house. I'm not confined to my desk chair or bed; I have various couches and armchairs to choose from!
--burgers! Fries! Chicken nuggets! Barbecue! Sweet tea!
...and a surprising amount of other small things that you would never notice you enjoy until you go without them for almost half a year.