There and Back Again

Super original, I know.

Hello United States!!!  I'm BACK!!!  I've been back for 2 days now...I think...time is all wonky in my brain.  I've given and received lots of hugs, had a family "game" night, slept at weird intervals, and been ridiculously lazy.  I have absolutely no energy today, I don't recall jet-lag taking this long to wear off last time, what a sick joke!  Coming back to the States was a real dose of reverse culture shock, everything here is so different from England - I no longer get weird looks for my accent, although an American at the airport thought I was Irish (props!).  The actual journey home was a long and stressful one, but once I was with my family I ceased to care.  I got a nice long hug from my mom, and the world became a better place.

To recount my journey in the briefest, most objective manner, here is a list:

1. My phone lost most of its charge on the way to London - shut it off in London so I could call family upon landing.
2. Sarah W's ticket didn't have a seat - spent the whole flight wondering if she was on the plane.
3. Was seated in the center of the center aisle directly behind a screaming, unruly toddler.
4. My TV only played Despicable Me 2 and the new Disney Channel over and over and over.
5. The 2 people to my right were very nice fellow study abroad students, we had a nice chat (see, it wasn't all negative).
6. The plane arrived late - I had 1 hour to catch my connection.
7. I got selected for a customs interview, luckily I was crying by the time it was my turn so the guy took pity on me and only asked me a couple questions before sending me to collect my luggage.
8. I missed my connection which was the last flight home that day, the airline offered a flight for the next day, but wouldn't comp me a place to stay, I declined (Iberia will be hearing from me).
9. My AMAZINGLYWONDERFULFANTASTICALLYFABULOUS parents drove 4 hours to retrieve me.
10. I was at O'hare for 6 hours - I sat on my luggage, on a trolley, in the middle of the hall, next to the only outlet, charging my once-dead phone for 4 hours.
11. I let 3 people use my phone to call family in the US - they too had missed their connections.
12. I read my Bible for a bit.
13. I listened to music and people-watched.
14. I watched ER for an hour.
15. I was finally reunited with my parents around 10pm (4am according to my internal clock - I had been up for 21 hours).
16. We went to Giordano's in Naperville for dinner at 10:30pm - it was fabulous.
17. We drove home, I slipped in and out of consciousness.
18. We arrived home around 4am - I finally fell asleep in my comfortable cloud of a bed around 5am and slept until 10am.

The End.

Now I'm home, sitting in my kitchen, sipping American coffee (America really does run on Dunkin), writing this post, watching the episode of Grey's Anatomy that I watched the night before I left, fighting the urge to go back to bed...it's 1:17pm, but my computer says it's 7.17pm.  Being home is wonderfully weird.  It has been amazing to see people and feel like I belong again.  I am starting to miss England already though - it's too cold to go for a walk, and I can't get anywhere without a car.  I miss people too.  England was an amazing part of my life, I am a changed woman because of it (how sappy is that).  I think the biggest change has been the realisation that I am capable of being an adult.  I am responsible, and I can take care of myself (sometimes reluctantly).  It's an amazing feeling.

I think when I originally started writing this I intended for it to be really long, epic, and deep, but unfortunately my deep thoughts have passed out of my short-term memory without being stored in my long-term.  Doesn't look like there are going to be 3 films....darn.  Well, I think I'm back off to bed now.  

Oooo one thing I did find out today is that, were I still at CCCU next term I would have been able to write a 2500 word essay on Katniss Everdeen, discussing the character's qualities that define her as an action hero, what makes her different from other female action heroes, and the message such heroes send as role models for the world's youth.  Expect to see that paper here by March (possibly by January - we'll see how productive I feel like being).

Things to do this week:

1. GO TO THE BARN!!!!
2. Get together with friends.
3. Bake EVERYTHING!
4. Go to Target.
5. Start working off the English pounds.
6. Do laundry.
7. Enjoy not having a deadline for anything.
8. Go to a movie at a theater.
9. Mail things.
10. Get ready for CHRISTMAS.
11. Read a book for FUN.
12. Play in the snow - acclimate to the new environment.
13. Go the dentist (BOOOOO!!!!) :(
14. Drink a lot of coffee.
15. The ultimate HARRY POTTER marathon on FRIDAY!!!!