Repatriation and Review

I have officially been back stateside for 2 weeks now and am slowly readjusting to the American way of life. As I was packing up my things and planning my trip home people began to warn me about reverse culture shock and how difficult it can be to jump straight back into my old life. Because I have been looking forward to coming back home for so long I didn't really take it seriously, thinking I would be far to excited to have familiarity around me again. Little did I realize how difficult the transition would actually be. I began to realize that I had found in London the familiarity of 'home' I had been craving for so many months abroad. From learning my way on the buses, to accepting tube delays that could easily force you to get home an hour later than you hoped for. From new friends, to new foods to traveling experiences I would never be able to forget if I tried. I learned my way around a city that I have hopelessly fallen in love with all while completing a Master's program in Christian Education. The past 10 months have been a learning and growing experience that  I could not have predicted if I tried. Sure, I knew I would develop new skills and learn a thing or two about myself but the extent to which I feel I have grown up and matured is something I am still realizing on a daily basis. The last few months I spent in London I began to make a list of a few things I've learned this past year so I'll share a few of them with you:

1. There is no such thing as "on time" with public transportation. (Okay, fine, in England anyways. Germany was spot on every time, of course, and I definitely appreciated that) But I cannot express my frustration at waiting for buses and tubes that struggle to be even close to on time either making me extremely late to where I need to be or forcing me to leave the house 30 minutes early to ensure that I arrive on time. Needless to say, I am beyond ecstatic at having my car back and zipping to and from where I need to be. I can't say that I missed the traffic (nope not even a little bit) on the 405 hahaha but even then at least I am in the comfortable seats of my air conditioned car not packed into train cars next to smelly commuters playing their music too loud in an underground with zero air ventilation.

2. I can navigate my way around a city without the help of my phone, GPS, etc. Not that finding my way wouldn't have been made easier had I had access to these things but I really and truly enjoyed trying to find my way from Point A to Point B using maps next to the Boris Bikes or asking store owners standing in front of their shops if I was headed in the right direction. Even more exciting was when I realized I didn't need the maps or advice from people any more and had even found shortcuts for how to get to places I frequented. I know that my sense of direction isn't something most people in my life are comfortable with me relying on but I can proudly say I know how to wander the streets of London and not be afraid of getting lost. One time, Chris and I had time to kill after a day of being in the library and we thought we would try to get ourselves lost so we could explore something new. We each took turns saying left or right every time we would come to a new road and to our surprise, no matter how twisted we thought we were getting ourselves, we never could get lost. One or the other always knew where we were. Kinda cool, no?
In visiting so many new countries with languages I couldn't understand or accents so thick it felt foreign anyways, I didn't feel anxious in not knowing my way. I became comfortable with navigating my way around a city using public transportation or my favorite, WALKING.

3. Walking. Walking is officially a favorite means of travel though unfortunately not very practical in any place I live be it CA or AZ. I found this out the hard way when I tried to walk from Javi's house in Santa Monica to my beach in Playa del Rey and 2 hours 40 mins later I still had not reached the beach at which point Grace rescued me and we laid out for a few hours. Sure, I could have walked 30 minutes to Santa Monica beach but my sense of distance led me to believe it wouldn't take me more than an hour or so to walk to my favorite beach, Toes. Boy was I wrong! Anyways, it feels good to know that even walking has helped me to get in some of the best shape of my life. Of course it's been combined with lots of gym time and now that I'm back, Yoga, but my restless legs really do appreciate the exhaustion they feel as I climb into bed at night and they don't feel the need to keep moving.

4. I can be alone for days at a time and still be okay. It may not be preferred but it can happen and I don't panic. As much. When I had to move into the studio apartment my last few weeks in London I realized how much I actually enjoyed spending time alone with my country music blasting as loud as I want without wondering how much my roommates hate me for it. I enjoyed putting dishes where I wanted them and decorating how I felt was appropriate and if something was a mess I knew it was my mess and I didn't get irritated that other people left a mess in shared places.

The list of what I have learned about myself in this past year could go on for ages but I won't bore you all with that. My time home in CA and AZ has been absolutely amazing. From beach days to brunches to bike rides and runs on the beach. I've gotten back into yoga, reunited with some of the loves of my life including my most handsome Godson, Aiden who is such a little cuddle bug I'm ecstatic to be with him again.
I've had Mexican food more times than I can count since I've been home and eating tacos like they're going out of style.

It's been incredible catching up with family and friends and being reminded again just how much I was missed and loved back here at home. It may take some time to complete my readjustment to America but with the support system that I've had that has spanned oceans and countries I feel like I will be okay.  I am more confident in myself and believe that I really can do anything I put my mind to! London will always hold a special place in my heart and I can truly say I made friends who will last a life time. It's exciting to have friends abroad and know how easily we will be able to stay in touch.

Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this year and helped me get through the rough patches of loneliness and home sickness. I appreciate every person who has been a part of my growing experience. I am unbelievably grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had this year and I know that I will never forget what I have learned. I'm not sure if this will be the last post on here or not. Who knows, maybe I'll start a new blog. Thank you for reading and supporting me this year.

Love from America!

Kristin 

Hunt Ball

My last few days in England have been very eventful and exciting filled with new friends, walks along dirt roads next to never ending fields, and a minor auto incident which left us stranded in the country for an extra day. There are so many things to remember from this weekend that this post will have a ridiculous amount of detail. Feel free to skip around through the pictures if the details get boring but being that this is one of the most British experiences I have had, I have to write everything.

The Hunt Ball is held in Yorkshire, in the north of England, about 4-5 hours from London and in the beautiful countryside. The sun is out about 18 hours of the day and I saw some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets I've seen this year. The 5  of us driving up together (Sharlene, Will, Nick, Imogen and myself) left London at 9pm on Friday and arrived at Will's friends house around 1am. The car ride up didn't even feel that long as we played monopoly, sang along to the radio, and listened to stories of previous hunt ball experiences. Upon arrival Will's friend, Tom, who we were staying with, showed us the rooms we could use and then of course we stayed up a while longer listening to old friends reminisce about nothing and everything. It made me really happy just to be watching their interactions though I had little to contribute to the conversation. Not that that stops me from trying. Bed that night felt wonderful after having sat in a car for so long and we all slept soundly until about 8am when I then got up and waited for everyone else to get up. I read a book I just started on the drive up, The Other Boleyn Girl, because my friend Clemmy had it at home and I've always wanted to read it before I see the movie. I'm completely entranced by it and hopefully will finish tonight before I have to leave tomorrow.

Saturday morning was a slow start as everyone was still pretty tired. I wandered around the countryside for quite some time, pausing to sit on a bale of hay and just be in the silence. It probably sounds cheesy but having always lived in large cities I often forget how much noise pollution there is around me on a daily basis. I probably sat there for about 45 minutes with my eyes closed and the warm sun beating down on me. I had expected cold weather the entire weekend so I was pleasantly surprised to be comfortably sitting outside with no sweatshirt and my flip flops on. I got back from my walk to find the boys all playing FIFA and the girls nagging them to stop so we could go explore. When we got annoying enough the boys gave up and we went up the road (literally, a dirt road) to Tom's parents home to see the new house they are building. It is SO BEAUTIFUL and I would LOVE to have their master bedroom as my room. There are stairs that lead up to a walkway that goes around the entire room that is going to be a massive closet. Brilliant I say, brilliant!

Saturday afternoon/early evening was spent readying ourselves for the ball. A constant rotation of showers, hairdryers, flat irons and clothing came in and out of the bathroom and bedrooms. It was kind of exhilarating in a "I'm going to prom" kind of way! You know, that feeling you got senior year when the night of the dance comes around and you're giddy with excitement? Again, cheesy but that's how I felt. As everyone met up at Tom's house we all piled in to 3 or 4 cars and drove about 30 minutes to a most beautiful mansion where the Hunt Ball takes place every year. 3 large marquees were set up in the "backyard" which not surprising is also a kind of forest/massive lawns. I was in a complete state of shock having never been in such a place where people are actually living there! Sure, I've been inside castles and such here but...no one lives in them!

Walking across the lawns to the first marquee our heels were sticking in the grass and Sharlene and I were giggling like children as we tried to rush to get out of the rain without tripping over 4inch heels. It was a funny site indeed! Inside the first tent we were welcomed by a champagne welcome before it was entertainment and dinner time. The entertainment was great because we had a front row seat from our awesome seats. It was an acrobatic crew who flipped and turned every which way and balanced one each other....I don't even know how to begin describing it but for those who have been to Venice beach, they were kinda like those 5 guys who jump over each other and such.

After a dinner of steak, salad, potatoes and some amazing fruity dessert lots of dancing ensued. All the men knew how to dance! Real dancing with twirls and spins and dips and proper footwork. It was so much fun! Now I really do want to take dance lessons so that I'll be able to twirl and know what I'm doing! Luckily all I had to do was follow and no one expects girls to lead hahaha I would have been in big trouble otherwise.

We were up until sunrise which was so beautiful and of course, un-capturable via my iPhone but especially watching it rise over the fields...stunning.

As all good things must, our time in the country was nearing its end. Or so we thought....after packing up the car and cramming ourselves into the car we headed off to the gas station to fill up. Will headed inside to pay while Nick began to fill up. Being that it was Will's car, Nick didn't realize that the car ran on diesel fuel not petrol and less than 5 minutes down the road the car started making funny vibrations and we immediately pulled over as Nick and Will instantly knew what had happened. After a brief panic moment everyone went in to action mode calling whoever they thought could be of assistance. We hopped over the fence on the pull off and sat with all the blankets we had brought on the grass in a field. It was actually quite comical as we imagined having to pop up the tent we brought and just camping out with the car over night. Luckily for us we eventually reached Will's father and some roadside assistance people who were able to correct the problem by midnight....about 9 hours after we started off. It was too late and the boys too tired to drive back to London that night so we stayed at Tom's so we could be rested for the long drive back. Since it was daytime and rush hour it took nearly 6 hours this time around and I was sore and tired and ready to get out of the car.

Putting in the right fuel this time!

You'll be hearing no complaints from me though when I speak of this wonderful weekend. It confirmed my love of England and my desire to explore even more in the future what this beautiful country has to offer!


It was a fantastic way to end my time here in London. And so, my next post will be coming from good ol' USofA!!! T- 11 hours my plane be taking off! 


Love from London,


Kristin