I remember looking at my calendar the other day and I was swept by a moment of sadness. How is it possible that I’ve been in London for over 3 months already? When did this happen? I waited what seemed like a lifetime to get here and it’s going by way too fast! I’ve been doing so much, between school, traveling and nights out, I can’t even begin to imagine what it’s going to be like once I get back home to Gettysburg at the beginning of June. I am so very excited to see my family and boyfriend, but the one thing I’m going to miss the most are the people who I’ve met here and the memories we’ve made. They’re not just friends, they are family. They will only ever truly understand what this experience has been. I know my family at home is excited to hear all my stories and adventures, but when I talk about Primark or Tesco or the beauty of constantly hearing English accents, they will only know a small portion of what it really was like.
Culture shock is going to hit me hard, when I return home. There are things I’ve missed so much, including Taco Bell, Wal-Mart and being able to drive a car, but there are things here in London I will never have again my life. The joy of sitting at a kitchen table in McLaren talking with other study abroad students, the moment you find pop tarts at the sweet shop and buy them even though they are ridiculously priced, losing my oyster card right after I topped it up, or even the moments of uncontrollable laughter walking down Waterloo road. These are the things I’ve come to love and will be what I miss most when I go home.
I’ve got a little less than a month and a half here in London and I know its going to go by even faster. It saddens me to think that I’ll be leaving this all behind soon, but I know this journey will last with me long after the culture shock has come and gone once I return home.
Ill be enjoying my time left here, but until next…Cheers from London!
