Yesterday I flew back to California for the very last time. I have 4 months until graduation on May 10th. After that I'll be done, my California adventure will be over, and I'll have 30 days before the US Government will kick me out the country.
It feels weird with the end so close yet so far. Realistically 4 months is nothing and it is going to go very fast, but then I think about all the things I have to do in those 4 months and it doesn't feel close being over at all. I have a new sociology class to start and finish, my Thesis to complete, another semester of Tiger Pride, and new class of undergrads in my Tennis Activity Class. That's not to mention any extra work I might try to publish. So it's not that close to the end at all.
I've spoken a lot in the past about transitions between here and the UK and I think that's because they're the feelings that feel most alien. In my last blog post I mentioned how I'd got back to the UK with my USA head still on, and now I'm experiencing the exact opposite. It seems that it can take as little as 4 weeks for me to settle back into one of my two worlds, and now I'm back in California I'm struggling to think like an American. It really is a mental thing too because physically nothing feels strange or new, I've just fit back into my old routine here. Mentally though I'm finding it hard to prepare for the upcoming semester. I imagine it's like swapping between driving a car and a bus. After a driving a car all your life, driving a bus might be hard at first, but eventually you learn and get used to it. So I imagine I've been driving a car for the last 4 weeks, and now I'm back in the bus. I can physically drive the bus with ease, but mentally I'm all over the place for a bit until I'm used to it again.
I'm going to stick to what I said before Christmas, I feel like I belong in two different worlds now. This is a problem though because the two worlds are so different. It's always been hard in America living without some of the good stuff from England, but these last four weeks in England I have missed certain things about America. The food here is great and always having sport on tv is definitely something I love, but then five minutes in the car here and I'm reminded that I much prefer British roads and British drivers. I don't want to insult my friends but California drivers aren't exactly defensive drivers, and I'm certainly nervous in the car!
Looking back I did have a great Christmas break, and not because I did anything particularly awesome, but because is was perfectly normal. I did get to take my mum to the Harry Potter studios, and on the same day my family and I saw Catching Fire at the cinema, so that really was one of my best 2013 days. Otherwise I just enjoyed the day-to-day. Walking my dog and watching British comedy shows and eating home cooked meals. It was just great to live out a normal few weeks.
As far as New Years resolutions go I did change my approach to making them. This year instead of trying to do more of something like going to the gym for example, I actually picked out one of my worst behaviors and I'm aiming to reduce it! I'm a worrier, and I worry about money and my future everyday. I'm fairly sure that worrying so much about these things is actually stopping me from enjoying my life. So my new years resolution was that for 2014 I am not allowed to worry about money. This is my year off. If I'm poor then so be it. I don't need a well paid job for a few years and so I'm not worrying about it. I'm going to coach when I get back and that's all. I'll worry about the future in 2015. This year is my chance to chill out and enjoy life. So I call upon you all to HELP ME! Any time you hear me worrying about money or getting a job or my future YOU MUST STOP ME!
My flight was not the best yesterday. There was a lot of turbulence and I was ready to live out Episode 1 of Lost, expecting to find myself in purgatory disguised as an island paradise with Dominic Monaghan. The food was awesome though, that was good. I also got to watch Don Jon (not recommended for the easily offended), The Internship, and We're The Millers. I loved all of them so if you need a recommendation go with one of those.
I think I'm beginning to ramble so I will stop there. Thanks everyone in the UK, especially my family, for making my Christmas break so perfect! It was just what I needed. And here's to my sprint finish here in California!
I hope you all have a great start to 2014! Stay positive (especially in the upcoming crappy January and February that everyone inevitably has)!
