The Beginning of Goodbye

Two weeks and counting - who can believe that?? It feels like ages ago that I stepped off of that Oxford Tube Airline bus from Heathrow with Kyle. I remember feeling so disoriented, wondering where Gloucester Green was and how on earth we were going to find the Warner's house. I was in a dream that day and I suppose I still am, but that dream is coming to an end. Soon it will be time to wake up, drag my two suitcases, duffel bag and backpack to the airport and fly back to America.

It is all very bittersweet, because I cannot wait to get back and see my friends and parent and be able to eat at places like Chipotle and Nuway. Yet, I am going to miss Oxford quite terribly, I feel. Number one, the weather is great - I don't know how I am going to manage in the 90s. Number two, the accents are fab. Number three - the atmosphere here is so wonderful, it's almost indescribable. I am going to miss the lovely roses blooming in the gardens, the ducks in the river, walking everywhere, the odd and quaint British stores, the kebab stands and wonderful cider, and the kids in the program. However, I will not miss the overcrowded streets of Oxford, my dirty house, the cobblestones that I so frequently trip over, or the outrageous prices.

I feel like I have grown so much here. Not only do I feel more self-assured but I feel stronger. I think the running is helping (I ran for 25 minutes straight yesterday!). Although I don't know for sure that I want to become a professor, I know that that would be a good possibility. I have come to grips with being alone, being self-sufficient, and balancing my schoolwork with playtime. I can now manoeuvre around cities by myself, stay in hostels, and travel abroad with only myself to rely upon. I know who I am now, not fully but this time abroad has greatly enhanced my relationship with myself. I don't need anyone to tell me what to think or how to act or what I should be because I have found that out on my own. It has only taken this time of growth to show me that and to become comfortable with myself, contradictions, mistakes and all. I think my time in Oxford has been very good for me, but I cannot wait to be home.