Of Things I Will Miss About the UK

To wind down this blog (since I am going home in 1 day), I would like to address England and thank her for having me these past 6 months. And to begin my goodbyes, I would like to speak of the things I will miss about England

1) Teatime. Especially with cakes and scones filled with jam and clotted cream. My favorite memory of tea were when we visited Allison's family friend, Joan (who were good friends with Allison's mother), and she served us tea in china cups painted with English roses, as well as cakes on matching rose plates. I have never felt more proper and the tea tasted marvelous as well. Or, if it wasn't in china cups, it was just tea time with my flatmates on Sundays where we catch up on the past week or gossip, just like those British ladies on TV.

2) Wildflowers. The weather is not as kind to plants in California. Yet in England, all the rain means that everything is an intense shade of green and the flowers grow tall, large, and so lovely. I am still amazed upon coming back from Italy to find freshly grown daffodils that seem to spring up overnight. That's the magic of this place.

3) Chocolate. And by chocolate, I mean real chocolate such as Galaxy and Cadbury that has the right amount of cacao content in them to make them chocolate, different than dry, old Hershey bars. You can't get them at home for this cheap and definitely not in large bar form.

4) Small. The small size of everything, from the doorways to the streets. Everything here is built on a smaller scale which makes a short person like me feel strangely comforted. And most of the towns here are also built on a small scale with a main street. I will miss that old-fashion quality about it.

5) History. Europe has that air of regal history about her. America is the vivaciousness of youth. The buildings here are of an older, beautiful aged quality. Home is all slick skyrises and glass houses. I will miss the Elizabethan and Georgian style houses (with their corresponding names such as Lilac Cottage or Cranford House), in their small towns where everything is in walking distance, and the history of years behind them.

6) Public transport. I do complain quite a bit about the lack of punctuality in the British transport system but the plus thing about it is that it's there and it takes you everywhere in England. Living in the middle of a green field, I would be stuck if it were not for the 4 different bus lines that run through campus. So thank you Unibus, Travel Coventry, and Stagecoach buses, plus Virgin, London Midland, and other train lines for helping to transport me to strange, far off places as soon I got bored.

Most of all, I will miss the wonderful people that I have met here, English, German, Swedish, Irish, and of course, other Americans. Without them, this experience would not have been as enriching, rewarding, and oh so fun. They have, for the lack of a better term, have taught me so much (one of which was proper British English). I gained a new understanding and knowledge of other cultures through these people, laughed and drank with them, and found a connection over common bonds which I did not think would be present. I learned that in the end, we are all the same, which is oddly comforting.

So I am saying my goodbyes, so long, farewells, and I hope one day to come back. So long England, and thanks for all the biscuits!


So long sheep, I think I'll miss you most of all