Well, my wonderful semester abroad has come to a close.
I arrived back into the US on Saturday, and I already miss London. I've already noticed some little differences since coming back - everyone here is "right" centric. All of the doors are opened on the right, and people walk down streets on the right. People even circle the grocery store in the opposite direction than in England! (It's weird to think that I've subconsciously picked up these "left" centric habits while abroad, and that I'm only realized it when everyone else moved in the opposite direction.)
To show how at home I was becoming - after going to the pub quiz at ISH for many weeks, Andi and I finally placed second, winning £10 for our knowledge of British culture and general knowledge. I've made a list in my head of my favorite pubs and spots in the city, and have recommendations for anyone who is going to London. I've ranked all of the major parks in/around London. I even miss reading the London Evening Standard when I catch the tube from class!
On a personal side - this semester has been great for my health. Since the city is so expensive, especially with the exchange rate, I barely went out to eat. England doesn't really use preservatives, which makes the food last shorter, but makes it healthier. I also didn't always want to use the buses to get around, so I clocked around 20 miles of walking each week. All together, I was burning calories and intaking healthy food. I'm feeling good.
My last days abroad were relatively uneventful, as I was studying for my finals and finishing off essays. However, on the last nights, our entire program bonded together through both studying and preparing to say goodbye to the semester. I can't wait for next year because I have a bunch of new friends that I haven't seen yet in College Park. For the last night, we all went out to a club in Piccadilly (Tiger Tiger), and I stayed up to watch the sunrise in Regent's Park. Our celebration had a sense of finality to it - when people left back to their flats, we hugged goodbye because we realized that our magical time was over. While I will see a lot of the people on this trip later on, the setting will be completely different. But no matter where we all end up, we'll always have London.
