after being home for a week...

...actually, even before being home for this long, I started to miss Oxford. The last week was such a rush. The term went by entirely too quickly. Naturally, I've decided to make lists about what's good about being home and what I miss.

Things I like about being home:

• Hanging out with my family. I missed them, of course. Well, I've mainly just seen my mom, my sister Brie, my cousin Mindy, & Lola (which is grandmother in Tagalog). But I can text my brother Raf or my dad whenever.
• Being able to call & text everyone. I was getting withdrawals from not being able to compulsively text (or call, in Ames' case) my Georgia & Alabama friends. And my New York & Denver cousins. It's been good to catch up with everyone.
  
• Southern food. I missed it so. Since I've been home, I've had Popeye's and Cracker Barrel. I love fried chicken. And mashed potatoes. And red beans & rice. And fried okra. I realise that these are chain restaurants and not like Paula Deen's cooking, but still.
• Georgia weather. Aside from the day we arrived, the weather's been upwards from the mid-60s. It's awesome to not have to layer & wear a coat.
  
• Roger, my Infiniti G35. As much as I liked walking around, it's nice to be able to get in my car & go for a drive. It's relaxing.
• How cheap everything is. Sales tax is 7% and 3% for groceries, unlike the U.K.'s VAT (value added tax) of about 15%.
• The fact that I'm going back to Athens soon. 'Nuff said.
• No seminars or tutorials. I'm not attending classes until fall. YES!!!
• Not living in the The Real World: Oxford house. Drama was bound to happen, as there were 40 people living in the same house. Undergrads, law students, and grad students...all under one roof and sharing a kitchen. The latter was the centre of the undergrads vs. law students drama. It was intense.
  

Things I miss about Oxford:

• Keble College & the town itself. 'Nuff said. Also Saffron, which is still the best Indian food I've had. Ever.
  
• Wearing scarves in context. Haha. Whenever I've worn scarves in Georgia, I've had to wear them as fashion scarves.
  
• Walking. I genuinely liked walking everywhere. Even if it'd take forever, at times, I unknowingly lost 17 pounds because of the pure necessity of walking. (I didn't rent a bike, as I haven't ridden a bike in years.)
• Clubbing. Granted, Oxford clubs weren't London clubs, but still. We had a great time. We should've sketched at the Turtle one more time, but we didn't. It's going to be lame that once we go back to Athens, the only places to really dance are The Loft and 8e's.
  
• Living in 104 Banbury. It was beautiful! It had a kickass kitchen. And a library. And an awesome backyard. And it was convenient to have fun people to hang out with all the time.
• British accents. The Brits manage to make everything seem more pleasant with their accents. And it's rather soothing to hear announcements at Gatwick or other places in a British accent. Haha.
• Train rides. I could go see Andrea after an hour train ride to London & a five minute tube ride to Kings Cross. You can take a train anywhere in Europe, it seems. I enjoyed listening to music while watching the English countryside pass by.
  
• Its proximity to London. There are always a million things to do in London and sightseeing and play-going were only a couple. I got to see Avenue Q and Three Days of Rain AND meet James McAvoy!!!!
• The pace. It seems to be the European way to take things at a more leisurely pace. The same could be said of American small towns, but still. It was nice to be able to go to a restaurant, spend time chatting and enjoying the food, without being shunted out the door.
• The amount of liberal people. The conservative Brits are still more liberal than American conservatives. In fact, British conservatives are probably closer to our moderates. It was great to be in a country where social welfare is something that people expect the government to mind.
• Being surrounded by so much history. And, of course, it was fun to be able to say, "Oh, I'm studying at Oxford." Haha.
  

SPIA at Oxford was amazing. It's lame that this is my final post on this blog. I probably should've blogged more, but I had a fantastic time just being there, as cliched as that is. And I also probably should've stopped blogging here after I left. Haha.

Cheers!

♥