After coming home for Christmas I figured the whole process of 'coming home' this summer would be a similar one. In fact it was very different. Not because of the weather (although coming to England to more beautiful sunshine was a plus), but because I'd been away longer. When I came home at Christmas, I'd been in California for just over 4 months. It was still new to me, and coming home was a well needed break. This time though, I'd been away 6 months. Not only was it a longer break, but it meant I'd been living in California for 10 months now, and I hadn't realized how "Americanized" I had become.
In 10 months I'd gone beyond the novelties and the obvious differences in language. I was full-on thinking like an American. I now have full understanding of Cali life, school, sports, food, politics, social life and was living it completely. I was visiting places in L.A. and the Pacific Coast and not grouping myself with the other tourists there. I know how to send mail, pay in a check, pay for a meal and how much to tip. I know when's the best time to drive and what the traffic will be like. I know how to get to San Francisco and how long it will take and where to go, as well as knowing where San Jose, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and San Diego are and what's there. I started watching sports center, started caring about the 49ers and the NFL draft, and felt guilty for liking The Heat (basketball) when everyones hating on LeBron. I naturally say 'soccer', 'yard', 'freeway' and 'sweater'. In ten months I have changed and my brain is split into two worlds, and the more you learn, the more difficult it is to interchange between them. I no longer feel like a British kid writing about how different America is. Now, I am writing about how I came home and saw the UK like a tourist for the very first time.
It happened immediately as I got off the plane. It was sunny so that didn't feel alien to me, but after 2 minutes in the car I started to notice things that had always been there before. Sure, driving on the left side of the road took a little readjustment but I was ready for that. What I didn't expect was to notice how green everything was. Miles and miles of green fields and trees. Then the condition of the motorway, and how smooth and clean the roads were. Then how long the journey took; I was home in 30 minutes. A 30 minute drive will get you to the cinema in California, and no where near an airport. Then I noticed the postboxes, bright red and dotted so randomly around the town. Then the cars parked on the road because not all houses have driveways here. The roads aren't wide or straight, but curved and narrow. There aren't any trucks, but instead white vans. It took me a week to settle back into life here and to remember how to "be" British.
A few weeks later I found myself in London for dinner with a friend who I had missed so so much. As I waited in Trafalgar Square I took numerous pictures of Nelsons Column, the National Gallery, red phone boxes, and the Sherlock Holmes pub. I became a tourist in a city I used to visit every other week.
At first I thought I was just 'thinking like an American', but I wasn't thinking about America at all. Instead I was just seeing home as an outsider and appreciating what we have here. I hear so many Brits complain about the country and I used to be one of them, but now I can see the good we have beyond my home comforts. Now I can see why people travel from around the world to visit us, and why so many people will break immigration laws to come live here.
I've been back nearly 4 weeks now. I've truly experienced the good and bad in both places. I've experienced the home sickness and missing friends at both ends. It's a strange feeling to feel like you belong in two completely different places, and it's especially scary when you have to start thinking about your future. Who knows what will happen from here, but for the first time I have to start thinking that America might not just be two years of my life anymore.
Finally, on a slightly unrelated note, I would like to end on a request to all my friends and family. Please don't ask me "so how is America?". What kind of question is that? A person who has just spent 10 months in America can only answer you with a written essay, AND THIS IS WHY I HAVE A BLOG. Be specific god dammit! Otherwise you'll be getting the generic "yeah its good, the weathers nice" response.
Peace out and thanks for reading.
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