Back in the US, Back in the US... of A

Well, I've returned from my overseas adventures. I still can't believe 5 months came and went so fast... but weirdly, at the same time, it feels like I was there much longer than that. I know that doesn't make any sense. I think I just changed so much in such a short amount of time that looking back it seems that way.

It's strange to be back because everyone wants to hear about England, but I don't really know what to say. It's easy enough to say what I did every day: clean the house, look after the children, feed demonic chickens, muck out the occasional stall. It's not at all easy to explain the effect that living thousands of miles away from friends and family had on me. For the first time ever I was forced to rely completely on myself. I never realized how often I use people as a crutch. I don't mean that to sound as awful as it does. I didn't consciously "use" people. I just mean that I would kind of depend on others in social situations. I'd never step out of my comfort zone, I'd never go places by myself or really even make friends with someone new without the support of my existing friends. But being on my own like that created a sort of ultimatum: I could either keep to myself and be pretty miserable, or man (woman?) up and try new things that were scary to me.

Like going places by myself. This was uncomfortable situation number one. Living in social Siberia was tough to get used to. The part of England that I lived in was amazing, rolling hills of green and hedgerows everywhere... but it reminded me of a quote from a book I once read. "It's like living in the petals of a poisonous flower. It's beautiful, but it kills you." Okay... so it wouldn't have physically killed me... but my social life was definitely in mortal peril. After the first month I realized how easy it had become to get sucked into the lifestyle of living through Facebook. I didn't want that. As comfortable as it was to sit and maintain connections with everyone back home via the internet, I knew I'd regret not doing other stuff while I was out there. So even though it made me really uncomfortable, I started going out by myself. It started with a couple of movies and escalated from there, and by the time I came home I'd been all over the Southwest by my onesy. And I'll tell you, it wasn't that bad. By the end of my time there I'd actually grown to love traveling solo: I was free to see and do what I wanted without having to worry about accommodating someone else.

Meeting new people was a toughie at first as well, mostly just because there weren't too many people I could relate to out there (by this I mean there were ZERO 22-year-old history graduates from America within a 50 mile radius. Surprising, I know.). I have to admit that I was pretty childish about this to begin with. I didn't really know how to cope. I'd just spent 4 years at college --I didn't have to put forth any effort to find people in similar circumstances to my own. Suddenly that all changed. But this, like everything else in life, got better with time. Eventually I embraced the fact that I really wasn't in a situation that was at all similar to what I had been used to up to that point, and that was okay. This is probably pretty basic for most, but it was huge for me. I can't explain to you how much I resist change in any form. Openly acknowledging and even accepting the complete difference between my old lifestyle and my new one was quite the accomplishment. I started really enjoying the time I spent with the people I came to know, even though we were in completely different stages of life. It really amazes me to realize how much other people can teach you, regardless of what walk of life they are currently on or have come from.

So... now you know. It doesn't seem all that interesting to tell people what I did in England. I feel like England did much more for me (cheesy, cheesy, lemon squeezy, but actually really true). It was really exactly what I needed to get my head on straight and figure out who I am. I feel like I am constantly working on the latter part of that statement, but I think that's how it's supposed to be. And I'm okay with that.

WOW I'm a terrible blogger.

I guess it's a mixture of not having enough time/motivation to write on here, as well as the weirdness I feel whenever I do write, because I never really know how to present what I have to say without sounding like a vapid narcissist. That's the nature of blogs, though: you talk about yourself. And I never feel like anyone else's blog is teeming with self-love. I actually love reading about everyone's daily lives and all the stuff people are up to back home (yup, I just admitted to being a complete blog-stalker. Watch out!).

Ranting done. I will now catch up on what I've been doing for the past 3 months because I only have a little over 5 weeks left out here.

July flew by in a blaze of sunshine. Everyone kept telling me what strange weather it was for England; sunshine almost every day. I just did my normal thing: work through the week, travel around on the weekends. I went to...

Dartmouth

Totnes

Plymouth

and Bristol.

In August, the kids were out of school (they only have August off, how sad is that?) and naturally it rained almost every day. I wasn't able to leave much during that month because I ended up working through most of my weekends. I didn't mind that at all because my job doesn't feel like "work" at all, and we did some random stuff that I wouldn't have been able to ever experience otherwise. Such as a hound show. I didn't realize how entertaining it could be to watch a bunch of Englishmen wearing velvet top hats, double-breasted jackets, and those funny pants that make their hips look incredibly wide parade their dogs around in front of a panel of judges. I still don't understand the point of it all but it was fun to watch anyway.

The last 2 weeks of August were the highlight of my trip because we went to Ireland.

There's so much to say about Ireland and how beautiful it was and all we did there. I'll write the condensed version. The main reason we went was to get the baby christened, and since this mom over here is from Ireland and her parents live there, we were able to stay with them for a week while we were getting all of that organized. I was blown away by how much goes into orchestrating a christening. Maybe they aren't always as extravagant, but we had fancy lunch and dinner parties all day, every day, with people showing up in their best dress and being served course after course after course. I ate enough Brie and pavlova to satisfy me for an entire lifetime I think.

While all the craziness was going on, I had a chance to sneak away to Dublin for a day. I'd been told by another au pair out here that it wasn't much to see, but I didn't find that to be true at all. I thought it was really interesting! I saw Trinity College, where the Book of Kells is kept, and the Guinness Factory (the Irishman's Mecca), St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Famine Statues, and St. Stephen's Green, which was my favorite part. It's basically Ireland's equivalent of Central Park, and it's beautiful.

After the christening shenanigans, we spent a week in County Kerry in a place called Caherdaniel. We stayed in a house right on the edge of an estuary and at high tide the water reached up right to the garden gate! Amazing. We had beautiful weather all week, much to the amazement of the locals, whom I couldn't understand to save my life, but apparently they all commented on the lack of rainfall during the time we were there. Every day we waited for the tide to go down and then we played on the beach and in the ocean. We picked mussels and had fresh lobster, and wild blackberries grew all along the banks and in the hills. It was the most unspoiled place I've ever been, and I hope it stays that way!

Now it's September and I'm leaving on October 14! I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly... I'm sad to think that I'll be leaving soon, but I'm really excited to come home.

a month in the shire.

Well folks, it's been a month exactly since my arrival in the UK, so I figure it's time for another thrilling installment on this here blog.

Everything is different here, even little things. It complicates the simplest things. Like going to the grocery store. I didn't realize how much more time I would spend roaming the aisles looking for things, but the packaging and brand names are different. I don't think a normal person would have much trouble with this, but since I've arrived here I've regressed back into an early-childhood state where everything new and unfamiliar is fascinating and I find it hard to restrain myself from picking something up off a shelf for closer examination... even if it's a box of crackers or something.

Another thing that creates somewhat of a problem for me: the language barrier. Weird, considering I'm in England, so the primary language is... you guessed it, English. Then again I am in the "sticks" of Britain surrounded by cider-swilling farmers whose accents are extremely thick. Combine that with the fact that they have different words for things and I'm in a load of trouble. The other day a friendly builder offered me a ride home (after chasing off a rogue goose that had decided to attack me). I gladly took him up on the offer because it would've been a long walk, and he looked like a friendly man beneath the grizzled white mane and beard. Poor guy, though. He tried talking to me the entire way and I can honestly say I caught possibly 5 random words. I guess he was satisfied by my response of awkward laughter and the occasional "yeah" to everything he said, because he kept talking. Sorry Father Christmas, couldn't seem to understand a word you were saying.

Everyone here is extremely nice. That's my favorite part of being here, how nice people are. (They're also big on recycling, yay!) Everyone is patient and friendly and willing to help however they can. And I'm learning a lot. The metric system... is completely lost on me still, unfortunately... but maybe someday I'll get there. I'm trying hard to remember to say "trousers" instead of "pants"... because "pants" here means underwear. Bit awkward when I compliment someone on their pants, which I did the other day.

T.M.G.

oh what a day is today

Let me apologize in advance: if you enjoy a nice break from text with a photo or two, this isn't the post for you.

Pictures can't do this place justice, I've already posted some on Facebook, and I can't figure out how to put any up here (funny, didn't seem to have a problem with that earlier).

To sum it up,

England is lovely.

The girls are adorable. The parents are equally great.

The family has welcomed me like one of their own.

I sometimes don't know what they're saying to me...

...Accents are thick and the choice of words unfamiliar.

I live in the Shire.

It rains a lot but it doesn't get very cold

I spend a lot of time outside when it's nice.

I'm still not used to driving on the wrong side of the road. At all.

In short, many things are very different,

but many things are the same as back home.

and basically... England is lovely.

Every morning I send the girls off to school after breakfast. While they're gone I basically help their mom with the housekeeping and gardening. One funny thing: they line dry their clothes! Yup, no dryer here. They like it better that way. A little strange considering they're pretty well-off financially, but I'm not complaining! Line-dried clothes smell delicious, and we get to do a lot of ironing that way (I've taken a strange and somewhat unhealthy liking to ironing. Don't be alarmed). When the girls come home from school I play with them for a bit, then make them dinner and put them to bed. Simple as that! Sometimes I don't understand why I get paid to do this... again, not complaining.

Weekends are my own, and I can do whatever I want. This past weekend I finally wasn't jetlagged out of my mind and was able to go do things! Saturday I went into South Molton, which is a funny little place in the middle of nowhere. It's surrounded by fields but the buildings are stacked on top of each other and crammed into this tiny plot of land. The market was pretty much exactly like the ones back home, but it was fun to just walk around anyway.

Sunday I went for a walk up to the village. The 'village' is this place called Knowstone, it's about half a mile away from the house I'm living in. It's an amazing place. There's a pub and a church and some old cottages. They all date back to the 11th century! The history geek inside of me had a field day. I loved it. I stayed there all afternoon and walked the single street a billion times. I wonder if the residents were eyeing me suspiciously from behind their curtains. I actually did take pictures of this venture, but I'm too lazy right now to upload them. Check Facebook sometime in the near future if you want to see them!

Lastly...

Today is my birthday.

I'm sure most of you know this, but I love my birthday. I try to milk it for all that it's worth. I never understand people who write theirs off as just another day on the calendar; I definitely do not share this mindset. This year I was worried my special day would be disappointing, though, considering I'm 9,000-odd miles from home. I was wrong.

This morning the girls gave me a sweater at breakfast. My family emailed me a sweet video they had made of them singing 'Happy Birthday' around a cake my baby sis made for me (spice, yum!). At dinner tonight the family surprised me again with a cake and a candle to blow out.

Other nice things:

1) It rained, and I love rain.

2) The Yankees beat the Jays yesterday.

3) I'm in England.

So as far as birthdays go, this one was pretty high up on the list.

Things I've learned at college:

1) There is no sadness that a drive up the canyon can't cure to some extent.

2) If you live with your bestie from high school your freshman year, you WILL end up hating each other (even if only temporarily).

3) Sledding on Old Main should really only be attempted if you have a death wish.

4) Even crusty old professors have a soft side, and they'll let you retake a test if you tearfully explain that you are going through a rough time (say, a broken-off engagement).

5) If your computer breaks, you can sometimes fix it with string and Scotch tape (with the help of an inventive roommate).

6) If you're creative enough, you can eat for free quite a bit (this involves taking advantage of random events like laser light shows at the observatory and cheese-tasting in the nutrition building).

7) A burning gingerbread house smells vaguely like charred cookies.

8) Deer are masochistic and have a tendency to ambush you as you drive innocently past the snowbank they are hiding behind.

9) Going to the library to study is a complete waste of effort. Going to people-watch, on the other hand...

10) Roommates who at first are strangers to you will often end up becoming your closest friends.

Goodbye, USU. Thanks for the memories.

Well, there's been a slight change of plans.

After I bought my ticket it occurred to me that I probably should have applied for a visa beforehand. I didn't think it was that big of a deal, I just filled out the online application and waited for them to accept it.

And then they rejected my application.

I guess I hadn't been specific enough the first time around. So I had to fill out the application a second time, pay the fee again, and wait another week to hear back. Of course, I was freaking out. I was so worried I wouldn't get it, and I'd start panicking sometimes thinking about what to do with my life if I didn't. I didn't have any backup plans or anything.

But yesterday I got it!! So all is well. Except that I can't stay a year at a time, only six months. I'll be coming home in November now instead of May, which is actually pretty great because I was starting to think a year was sounding like a long time.

Now I just have to make it through the last 3 weeks of school and finals without being too distracted to concentrate...

Right-O

Welp,

I wasn't really sure what to do with myself after graduating, and I really felt like I just needed some time (plus a grand adventure or two). I was weighing a few options, not sure about any of them, and then a family in need of an au pair found me. And it really didn't seem like it was actually happening until last night, when I bought my plane ticket. So...

In approximately 3 months I'll be graduating.
And approximately 3 months ago, that prospect terrified me.
But now I can't wait for my day of matriculation to arrive.
BECAUSE...

...I'm moving to England.

The family lives in a rural village called Knowstone...

...Which is one of many villages on the edge of Exmoor Ntl Park...

...Throughout which roam many of these.


I'm SO excited.