Home away from home.

I've been running around for the past few days, trying to make it to class on time, trying to figure out all of my travel plans and trying to stay hydrated. It's a hard life, let me tell you.

Actually, despite having started classes and beginning to adjust to the crazy scheduling these Brit kids are so used to, I still don't feel like I'm at school. And I know I never will be. Mike Jones and I had an interesting conversation at the bus stop yesterday that really got me thinking. Here in Leicester, I keep forgetting that my friends and family are actually living completely different existences as me. It's so strange to think that, after I will have been here for four months, I am absolutely guaranteed to be a different person than I was last fall, guaranteed to have a different mindset, different outlook on life, different experiences, new friends, loads of stories....and I know that returning to home and, even stranger, KU will be hard to readjust to. Mike Jones said his study abroad orientation had a seminar about reverse culture shock-returning home to the States after being away for months-and I am already trying to guage how rough my reverse culture shock will be. In many ways, I was ready to get away from KU for a bit. I love Lawrence, love love love everything and everyone there, but I really needed a change from the little bubble I was falling into. Brenna and I had a lot of conversation about how people would treat us once we got back to school after having missed an entire semester of craziness and drama and Templin happenings, but, only having been in England for almost two weeks now, I maintain that I am so happy to be here. I really hope people don't expect me to be the same or expect me to be completely different either. All I'm doing is studying at another Uni for a semester. Nothing too drastic, nothing too life-changing (well, in the negative sense). If anything, I'm growing more as a person than any of my friends who stayed at home possibly could. I'm meeting new (AMAZING) people, exploring new places and acquiring more stories and photos than I could possibly know what to do with. It's breathtaking.

Mike and I also talked about what life will be like when we return home and are away from this group of people who we've already grown so close to. For instance, Mike goes to school in North Dakota, so the chances of us seeing each other after Uni here are slim. Moreover, what about the family? I mean, here we are so close-knit already, but back at KU the 4 of us lead COMPLETELY different lives. I wonder how things will change come August.

I am also getting ahead of myself, though. I mean, who knows if I'll still even like any of these people in 4 months time...;)