The End

I've been home for over a week now. 9 days, to be exact. Its been kind of weird, though the weirdest has to be when I stepped onto the campus of KU last Tuesday. Being home has made me realize just how different Europe is from home. I've had tons of time to reflect on what I've learned and experienced these past six months. To start off with, here are a few things I've learned in general.
1. Doner kebab places are everywhere. No, but really.
2. English students fit the stereotype of American students travelling through Europe.
3. English students party like the world is going to end. Every single day. Thus resulting in number 2.
4. In Europe, you can wear tights with anything, no matter the weather.
5. The scariest thing when walking the streets is being mugged, not being killed.
6. Every country has its own twist on just about everything. Wine, beer, music, architecture, food, dancing, rules...you name it.
7. Just about everything people tell you to expect from Europe is pretty dead wrong.
8. If you aren't in a touristy area of the UK, American accents cause a wide range of interesting responses, including, but not limited to, weird looks, extreme excitement, and general confusion.
9. People walk everywhere. And if they aren't walking, they're taking public transport.
10. Getting around without a car is a breeze. Between planes, trains, buses, and even ferries, there's always a way to get where you need without forking over a ridiculous amount of money.
11. In every city there are pigeons.
12. In every city there are those crazy people selling things no one wants.
13. Tax is included in everything. (And boy do I miss it.)
14. Due to a different view on alcohol, people my age go out to a pub, have a drink or two, and just relax and talk with friends. Its a beautiful concept I wish more college students in the states participated in.
15. You work to live. You don't live to work. Even in school.
16. Because its so inexpensive and easy to travel to other places and see other cultures, Europeans seem to have a wider perspective on the world.
17. Just because you know same language doesn't mean you speak the same language.
18. Its possible to turn a building into something completely different. Churches can become clubs.
19. Europeans think we all have guns. And that all us college kids get completely drunk all the time. Oh, and we all eat PB&J and Lucky Charms.
20. Things come in smaller sizes. Buildings, food portions, grocery stores, the number toilet paper rolls packaged together.
Being home has also made me realize just how different things are between the states and the Europe. People do things different and have different ways of thinking about things. As I've been adjusting back to life in the states, I've began to realize that I kind of like the way Europeans do a lot of things more. I love being able to walk everywhere. In Leeds I walked to campus, the gym, stores, and restaurants. The city was set up so walking was easy. And even though Leeds isn't huge, if you didn't feel like walking, the bus can get you just about anywhere for cheap. At least where I live, walking to and from the grocery store would be ridiculous. Its quite a distance and there isn't a good, safe way to walk back home. I also loved that I felt completely safe  walking through a city with my bag of groceries. I was never afraid someone was going to come up with a gun and threaten to shoot me if I don't give them all my stuff. On my walks through cities like Bologna, Athens and Nice, people sat outside at lovely sidewalk cafes. Others were resting in their house with the windows or balcony doors ajar to allow the fresh air to glide into their house. It was lovely. I also loved the idea of little, family-owned shops that you walk into for a sandwich or snack freshly prepared right in front of you.
But not everything is better. For example, everywhere I went in mainland Europe charged you for water at a restaurant. There was no tap water, only bottled. I also desperately craved a real burger (real meaning they don't cook it all the way through and Mexican food (the lack of this ethnicity was completely mind boggling. I also really missed skyscrapers. Most European cities, since they are so old, lack large and extensive amounts of skyscrapers. In Paris, there is even a height limit on buildings. Growing up in the states, a city, to me, include a great number of towering structures.
I've come to the realization that I absolutely want to live in a city. Travelling to so many different cities has allowed me to set some standards to where I want to live. Here are my rules:
1. It must have a metro. I quite like metros. They're easy, cheap ways to get around a city, not to mention eco-friendly.
2. I'd prefer a city with a river. They are beautiful and add character and an extra something to cities.
3. I want to be able to be somewhere that is scooter-friendly.
4. I want to live somewhere with character. It has to have its own something that makes it unique and not just another city.
5. I have to love the architecture. A few places I visited had bland architecture, or lacked uniqueness in its buildings. Being someone who, at this point, has been brainwashed to analyze just about every building I see, I'm not sure I could handle living somewhere that architecturally doesn't impress me.
6. The food has to be good. (Pastry shops are a plus, too.)
I feel like I could talk about this experience forever. Its been one that has completely changed my life and opened up my eyes to so many new and different things. Its altered my opinion on so many issues, changed the direction I plan to move forward in during my life, and allowed me to better understand so many things in my global world. I now have this passion and desire to go out and learn all that I can about so many difference types of people. I want to know all about how people live, how they think, how they dream. And now that I've travelled like this once, I know I won't, and can't, stop. I will continue to explore and discover.
And now I feel like I'm rambling because I know the minute I hit the publish post button its over. But the next adventure will begin. And I look forward to making it completely amazing. And sharing it with all of you.
A whole new me,
Jessica

The Countdown Begins

In less than 24 hours my plane departs for Atlanta, Georgia, arriving around 6 pm EST. From there I will sit in an airport for a while (it'll be fun...you know you're jealous). Around 9 pm EST my flight departs, leaving the United States to Manchester, England. On that overally fun plane ride where I will attempt to sleep, but will probably fail due to my nerves, the wide range of distracting movie options, and the fact that me and sleeping on planes have never really been friends, I will be beginning 5 months on the other side of the Atlantic. With my boarding passes printed, everything packed, and 5 seasons of How I Met Your Mother completed (yea, its that good), there's nothing much more to do but wait. Which is a good and a bad thing. Waiting means I don't have to continue worrying about packing or what to bring or not bring or if I have the copies and documents I need so that they actually allow me into the UK. Waiting also means that now there is nothing to keep the thought that I'm actually doing this off my mind. I have no choice but to think about it and wonder what lies ahead for me. It makes me nervous (and I don't mean I just feel a little anxious. My stomach is currently simultaneously doing flips and churning), it makes me excited (I'm beginning to believe this also has to do with the flipping and churning), and it makes me a little sad that I may miss out on something back in the states (like a KU NCAA basketball championship).I think as long as my stomach doesn't actually upchuck anything, I'm going to be just fine on the plane though. I just gotta let things happen how they're going to happen and not get all worried about if the fact that I say "hella" and "i mean" like there's not tomorrow will ensure no Brit wants to be associated with me. As I said goodbye to all three sets of grandparents yesterday, they all told me I was going to do great, and think its about time I start believing them.

On a completely unrelated note: One of my old music boxes from when I was little randomly went off by itself today. I'm thinking I either have a ghost in my room or a case of the Toy Story 3 type. I'm hoping for TS3.

The girl who has 28 hours left on US soil,
Jessica

P.S. Once I have all my stuff completely in my bags and zipped up, which won't be until tomorrow morning after I've done things society considers necessary like shower and brush my teeth, I'll post a picture of my about to burst luggage. Promise.