Home for Christmas

It's been a while since I updated my blog, and for that I am very sorry. Towards the end of the semester it all got very busy with exams and deadlines and so on.

To fill you in on what you missed, I experienced my first Thanksgiving before Christmas. Firstly, I would like to let the American public know that British people DO NOT celebrate Thanksgiving, which was something I found myself explaining repeatedly. I found myself lucky enough to be invited to "SoCal" for Thanksgiving (that's Southern California to those who don't know the lingo). Ironically, with thanks to the amount of clothes I've bought from Republic, I not only understood what "SoCal" meant, but had it written inside and outside of a majority of my clothes prior to moving here. Anyway, Thanksgiving is just like Christmas really, except you spend it with family friends mostly, and you watch American Football instead of the Queens speech and Disney films. Roast dinner is just the same except for the introduction of marshmallows on some food, not sure about that one. My break down South also meant I got to spend some time exploring the beautiful mountains near where I was staying. The views were breathtaking, and to see real Ranches in the mountains was a treat for me.

Following Thanksgiving I made an effort the visit San Francisco before I went home for Christmas. Compared to London it feels much bigger although I'm not sure it is, and has more residences among the sights. It's relatively easy to drive around, which is near impossible in London. This was the same as Vegas, and is something that still blows my mind. Although I'm not sure you would choose to drive considering how steep some of the hills are, no exaggeration, it was frightening. There are also Trams on many of the roads which you Brits will have seen in the movies, or up north. The highlight of my day was probably seeing the Golden Gate bridge on such a beautiful sunny day, which you can see in this picture below.

As the title suggests, I was lucky enough to go back home to England for the Christmas break. I've not been so excited for something since I was a kid, and became insufferable where "home" became all I could talk about in the build up. I can assure you, my trip did not disappoint! Perhaps the most lovely surprise was finding my parents had got a dog in my absence! A 10 week old Westie named Bonnie. She truly is the cutest thing I've ever seen, and it meant I never wanted to leave the house except for walks and to Pets at Home. I became completely puppy oriented and by the end of my stay she could successfully "sit", "shake", "lie down", "fetch", and walk off the lead. When I finally dragged myself away from her, I made it to my old University for a night out. It was nice to see how many things haven't changed, and those that did had changed for the better. It was a great night out and was so lovely to see old faces. Totes emosh peeps! Anyway Christmas came and went as it does, and I had a lovely day and received perfect gifts under the tree. At this stage I should give a shout out to Kayleigh, who requested I mention her since she is a frequent reader, or so I've been told.

Before the end of my stay I was lucky enough to spend a day in the magnificent city of London with an old friend. I love London, perhaps even more now that I can appreciate how lucky I was to live so close for so many years. We visited as many sights as we could fit in, including the Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum and seeing Stomp! at the Ambassadors Theatre. It was a magical day, one that I wont forget in a long time. I'm already looking forward to my next visit.

New Years Eve also came and went very quickly. While I do love to party, there was no way I wasn't spending it at home. Unfortunately I didn't get to catch up with everyone I love during my stay, but I know we will see each other soon. It may or may not please you that my New Years resolution is to increase my contact with everyone at home, which means updating my blog more often.

So this leads us here. I arrived back in California yesterday and thanks to my sleeping pattern and jet lag I found myself awake at 2am this morning. I initially thought twice about writing this next paragraph, but I think it is only fair to my friends and family that I do. I love my home, and going home for Christmas made it very difficult to want to come back. I've found myself as a classic case of thinking the grass would be greener. I do enjoy my job, the people, and the touristy moments I get while I'm here, but it doesn't compare to being at home. Those few days before my flight back to the states, I really felt true sadness for the first time in my life. I rarely felt homesick while at university, but now with so many barriers to my next flight home the thought of waiting until next Christmas is incredibly painful. Despite all these feelings I know why I'm here, and I am grateful for this learning opportunity, and so with any luck there won't be anymore sadness in my blog. After all, if I work hard I'll get to write MA after my name on stuff. Not only that, I am lucky enough to have some brilliant people in my life who have assured me they will try to find the money to get me home for the Summer, and I am incredibly grateful for this.

With all that said, I have had the most perfect Christmas break, and I am thankful to everyone, especially my  parents who spent a small fortune on me. I would like to wish every one a happy new year, and I hope 2013 brings you good fortune!