So long to England

It has been a little over four months since my plane landed at Gatwick airport and I was thrust into a world steeped in history and slightly different traditions, a world of tea and scones and of castles and sheep. It's been ages since I've seen a full size pick-up truck, Mountain Dew, or Cheese Whiz (among other things curiously missing from British life) but I don't mind. I've gotten used to the differences.

However, the university was a bit more difficult to get used to and since I felt I wasn't getting what I really wanted out of my classes there, I decided to return to Tech for spring term instead of staying for the second semester here in Sunderland. This means that by the time you read this I will be somewhere in Europe on a month long tour around the continent. I'll be traveling through Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and France before returning to England flying out of London at the end of February.

The time I have spent here in England has been full of wonderful memories and I have made many new friends from all parts of the world and they have taught me about their different cultures and countries as well as about myself. It has definitely been the most educational semester in my college career.

On leaving, I will miss the British people perhaps most of all with their easy friendliness and varied dialects but also the beautiful countryside, the weekend trips by train to London, Bath and Edinburgh, and of course, my friends. Thank you for joining me in my experiences and feel free to contact me if there's anything further you'd like to know about my experience with study abroad.