Re-Entry

After a day spent furiously writing about the effects of WWI, downloading the episodes of "24" that I missed while abroad, and attempting to reconcile with my other ladyfriend (trombone, trombones are always women), I'm finally ready to try and disambiguate my month spent on the road. It's sort of hard to find my own individual voice on this matter, as so many of my counterparts' blogs seem to hit the nail on the head. I'll try my best, and try not to be too long.

I was very satisfied with all that I saw and did on break. The highlights have to be Paris, Avignon, being with the group in Italy, and Istanbul. I think it would be somewhat redundant if I went back and recapped them all, I wrote pretty much everything in one blog post or another. Besides the few instances where situations out my control forced me to, I didn't stay anywhere less than three nights, which was a good idea I felt, compared to the breakneck pace we did over Christmas. Definitely felt like I experienced everything a lot more fully. For the most part as well, I traveled in groups of 3 or less, which was nice. Although I love being with the group, it's also a lot less dramatic and stressful in small groups. I feel you see more too. It was really fun to see everyone in Sorrento though.

When I came back from Christmas break, I posted some quote by Mark Twain about how travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and closed-mindedness. That mantra was reinforced over the past month. I feel as if I got a better sense of the real cultures of the places I went, though sometimes it was a struggle. Being a francophile, I must admit at times I failed to see the glory of Italy after constantly fearing for my wallet, dealing with their inefficient trains, and the dirtiness that is Naples. Emily explained this to me by saying that I as a person was like a French TGV train, fast, efficient, and fairly business like. So, that was a bit of a struggle, but I learned to love Italy. Just not as much as France. As I said in a previous post, going to Turkey was amazing. So cool to see such a different culture and such. That's what I think travel is about, opening your eyes to things you may not understand or be completely comfortable with, only to be pleasantly surprised. It is essential if we want to be informed, active, and capable of reason. In Istanbul, Kate and I got into a debate about politics in America, and how the country's current course is a result of too many people just not knowing what's going on. It just reinforces my belief that travel and education are so important to better understanding the world, and how we fit into it.

So now there's approximately 6 weeks left in Nottingham. The clock is ticking towards June 5th, when we leave this place we've called home for nearly 8 months now. And that is freaking me out. Everyone out. Rest assured, all of us are looking forward to seeing friends and family and returning to Luther. But it's safe to say the UK has grown on me quite a bit, and it will be a very bitter goodbye. But the greater bitterness will be saying goodbye to the 8 people that I've lived with for this year. In Florence, Kevin, Hilary, and I were watching the Return of the King in Italian. It came to the scene when the hobbits return to the Shire, only to feel so alienated by their adventures. I think all of us are worried about that, I know I am. After seeing so much, what will the real "re-entry" be like? I'm fully expecting a bit of "hobbit syndrome." We go from being okay with flying off to Vienna for 5 days to not wanting to make the 25 minute drive into Minneapolis. That's scary. In a country so large, why does it seem like it will shrink so much? Money, surely plays a role. But so does a sort of complacent lack of adventure that seems to permeate us in familiar surroundings.

So, 6 weeks left. 6 weeks to cram in all those missed pub trips, baseball practices, papers, and episodes of the Office. 6 weeks to make the most of this fairly mundane city that has become so dear to us. 6 weeks to try and pick up a lame British accent to impress people back home. But most importantly, 6 weeks to make the most of the family that has been created here. A daunting task to be sure. But, a task that will surely be welcomed by all of us before heading back. That's it for now. Later.