Sunday, May 31, 2009

8:44 PM: Home for the summer

Yes, I've been home for a while. Quite a while. Like, a month. The last time I blogged, I was still in London. Oh, I'm such a bad blogger. Apologies.

I flew back to the USA on Saturday, May 2, arriving at 1:30 in the afternoon. I was happy to be home, but so very tired. When I finally saw my family, including my little sister whom I had not seen in 4 months, I felt so relieved. Physically and emotionally relieved. Relieved to be home, surrounded by people I love, in an environment where I feel comfortable. It was a great feeling. The Georgia humidity was not. I stepped outside the airport and was overwhelmed by this sticky, wet heat that invaded every inch of me. And I remembered. Oh yeah, I'm in Georgia. London had been mild, not even what we'd classify here as "hot." I was surprised that I had forgotten the heat here. Welcome home, Amber.

I've been amazed over the past month at how much I miss London, England, Europe in general. I didn't think I would miss it as much as I do. Honestly, I was aching to go home during that last week--I missed the normalcy of home, my family, and how relaxed it is here. I was over English food and their accents, and their currency. But as I've been home and have settled into the way of life here, I've begun to miss it. I miss the ease of getting around. Hop on the tube and see a show in Piccadilly. Hop on a coach and spend a few days in the Lake District. Board a plane and enjoy a weekend in Paris. That's what I miss most--the travel. But I've even begun to miss things like weird European dishes, the crowds of people at open-air markets, and being able to walk pretty much anywhere in European cities. Oh, how I miss walking. My feet don't miss it, but I do.

What I've already consciously or unconsciously decided is that I will go back. I still have yet to see Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, or any Eastern European countries. And what about Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and northern Africa? Oh no, my traveling days aren't nearly over yet. I've considered studying overseas for graduate school. Or maybe I'll just disappear one day and hitch-hike across the world. That sounds scarily fun.

I may or may not blog about the rest of my travels (like Ireland, etc.), depending on what else occupies my time this summer (which, admittedly, is not a lot). But we'll see. All my photos are up on Facebook, so please look through them. They are like picture-blogs. :)

So, signing off on the official London blog of 2009, au revoir.