Meanwhile, back in America...

After six somewhat glorious months, I am now back in the USA. Monday was one of the longest days ever and after a grueling 18 hours of travel I arrived safe and sound at my parents' house in Watertown. Since then I've been busy getting some Christmas shopping done, getting a cell phone, looking at apartments, etc. I'm also trying to just relax a bit.

Already I've begun to miss London. It seems the grass actually is always greener on the other side. There are of course, a number of things that I don't miss at all:
the bank, crazy cars, the buses, etc... But, there is a big list of stuff that I do miss: my friends, accents, colorful money, Indian food, etc... Today I had the strangest desire to get on a bus and head to Soho to look at used CDs. I'm kinda nervous about my adventures being over and facing some sort of real world. The midwestern accent is really annoying me right now, as is small talk overheard in stores. The snow's charm is quickly fading and the lack of a coffee-house is very noticeable.

I've had/am having many thoughts about my time abroad. Putting these thoughts into words is proving very difficult though. This is the only reason it's taken me so long to update. I think though that I can say a few things:

Travel, whether for a long time or just a weekend is really something that should be required. The knowledge and understanding gained from forcing oneself out of their comfort zone and into someone else's world is not something that can be taught. Through experience only do we learn about one another and the mysterious x factor that makes us all unique. I think that too often we get bogged down in our surroundings and fail to notice the little things around us and the quirks and habits of our humanity. You'll excuse the cliche but it's true. It takes living outside the US to really point out what makes us Americans. I have a renewed sense of patriotism and protest brewing inside which will hopefully linger long enough for action to be made. There's something about living here, in all our comfort that makes us lazy and complacent. I hope that the feelings I have don't fade too fast. All my life I've read history and I know a lot of facts. It's difficult though to put a human face to the events and see broad occurrences through the eyes of a bystander. Some of the most enduring memories for me will be stories I was told by people coming from backgrounds completely different than mine. There's also something innately wonderful about seeing places that are sort-of like home but not. The little things that get taken for granted get writ large and you get to see how the other half lives.

Anyway, this post is meandering and very reminiscent/nostalgic. I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season. I'll write more when my new computer comes.