Yankee Lover

It's still amazes me that I'm in Scotland. I think I forget it sometimes. I get lost in the fun, friends, and schoolwork. Life just goes so fast. It feels like yesterday that I was doing the tedious process of filling out all the applications and writing all the essays and whatnot that got me here. But now...I'm here!

Today as I was walking from the library to my room while worrying about the dollars dwindling in my bank account (I'm going to be living off of bread and peanut butter for the next 10 years), I had to stop myself and realize that I'm in Scotland. I was literally walking past 100 year old buildings. It's quite a calming feeling.

I've been dreaming of this since...forever. Ok, maybe not forever, but for a while. I can distinctly remember wanting it my freshman year of high school. I was in Ms. Puliatti's first period English class in a room full of people I didn't know. Everyday before class, I would sit awkwardly by myself in the last row of desks by the windows as everyone talked in their little groups. I felt so out of place while all my friends were at Grissom talking to everyone in their little groups. I don't think I'd ever felt like I didn't belong like I did in that first period English class. Freshman year was such an odd time. My friends at Grissom were moving on without me while I was awkwardly stuck at Huntsville trying to figure out what group I was a part of. It was such a limbo period. I'd be perfectly happy if I never have to experience that ever again.

One day Ms. Puliatti asked the class where we wanted to live (I don't remember why...maybe it was when we were learning about the archetypal hero or something like that). No one answered, so she decided to call on people. Naturally, she called on me. I didn't have an answer in my head, so I panicked.

"Somewhere out of the South," suddenly popped from my mouth. It's not that I don't like the South. I love the South. I love Huntsville. But I've lived that, I've experienced it. I wanted to experience something else. I didn't say any of that though.

After I gave my answer, the whole class kind of gasped and gave me this weird look. One boy called me a Yankee Lover and the whole class laughed until Ms. Puliatti calmed everyone down and tried to stick up for me.

Still, I stand by my answer. I want to live somewhere different. Whether that be with the Yankees in the North or in Broughty Ferry, Scotland (my new dream home), I just want to be cultured and have a broadened view of the world. Not that living in Huntsville forever would be a bad thing. Not at all. I love Huntsville. It's such a great city that's unique in itself. But for me personally, I want to experience...everything.

So even though the stresses of friends, decisions, and classes demand most of my attention, I can relax in the fact that I'm one step closer to obtaining my goal of being cultured. By experiencing more places, I can have a more educated and holistic answer if someone ever asks me where I want to live again. And if they call me a Yankee Lover? They can get over it.

Uh...Maybe later

Procrastination. I had no idea this disease could possibly get any worse than at Berry. But alas, it has surpassed my expectations. Having classes two days a week? Having 5 straight days of freedom? Being in a foreign country where every sight, smell, and taste is new? I mean, I have months until my essays are due, so why not just hop on a bus to Glasgow? Or spend a weekend in London?

School?

Nah, I'll do that later.

Well...later's almost here and...it's scaring me just a bit.

But I don't regret seeing everything I've seen and doing everything I've done. The classroom isn't the only place one can learn. My GPA and my resume might not reflect the experiences I've gained here, but myself as a person will. That's all that really matters, right? Or am I just justifying not starting my research essay until a few weeks before it's due when I've had all semester...

Life will go on. No one expects perfection. Unless...that is, unless you're a perfectionist.

But here are some of the things I've learned outside of the classroom:

1. Sushi on a conveyor belt just tastes better

2. Nose-bleed sections aren't that bad. That is, if you don't have a huge guy in front of you with his head blocking the whole stage (as soon as I took this picture, a guy came and sat directly in front of me. I couldn't see any part of the stage unless I leaned all the way to the left or right)

 3. Zach Braff could care less about Americans, but we got a picture with him anyway :) We actually got the VERY last picture with him.

4. Sleeper buses are definitely the way to go. We went to sleep in Glasgow and woke up in London!

 5. I love peppermint tea.

 6. The Muffin Man does not live on Drury Lane.

 7. To prevent a guy's head blocking your view of the stage, sit on the front row of the balcony. Best seats ever. And cheap too.

8. I love Rock 'n Roll. Who knew?

9. My new best friend is this joker named Ben. And he's quite Big.

10. Fish 'n chips are just better in London. End of story. These Londoners even make peas taste better.

11. Abbey Road is actually a road...with cars that are constantly driving by...

12. King's Cross looks nothing like the movies and there is no column between platforms 9 and 10. Huge disappointment. I died a little when I saw this. Major let down. But that's the brilliance of magic, I guess. If we could actually see it, it wouldn't be magic.

13. I want to live here.

So I might not be holed up in a library cubicle writing essays, but that doesn't mean I'm not learning!

In the words of Of Mice and Men, "This one's for you."

Where is home?

Huntsville? Rome? Jones Valley Dr.? FBC Huntsville? FBC Rome? Berry College? Morton/Lemely? Dana? Scotland? Dundee? Heathfield?

As we started our freshmen year at Berry College, my roommate--Marley--got a little plaque from her mom that says, "Home is where your mom is." That may be a true statement, but I don't want to think about being away from home for 5 months. That would be such a lonely experience.

I have come to the conclusion that home is where I feel accepted. Somewhere that I am never lonely--which is different than being alone. I can be perfectly happy alone and not be lonely. Home should never be lonely. However, I reserve the right to change this definition when appropriate as my experiences broaden and as I grow as a person.

I can safely say that as I've embarked on this journey, I have felt at home. From the moment I got to Scotland, I've been accepted. I have a great group of friends here that I can just be "me" around. I was at Berry for 2 years before I found my little niche of friends from a variety of corners around campus, whereas here it only took me a week. But it's not just my friends here that make me feel at home, it's everyone in the States too (I am now referring to the USA as the States because as a girl from Chile pointed out to me, America could mean South America too--I shouldn't just assume North America is the only America...). From skype to e-mails to messages to letters (my personal favorite--thank you Sydney and Katherine!!!!) and especially facebook, I've never felt more at home in my life. I had no idea I had so many friends and people that cared!

Ok, so this was a really emotional post. I apologize. I just want to show my gratitude for everyone. Nothing goes unnoticed, so thank you.