Sunday, March 11, 2012

A Taste of Home

I can't believe I haven't written about this yet, but a few weeks ago my mom came to visit me here in England. I had been waiting for this day for a very long time; the day my mom would come to visit. In fact, I had a countdown on my phone since Christmas. As each day passed it was one day closer to being able to see my mom. When February finally came round I could not shut up about the fact that I would get to see my mom this month. I’m sure everyone in the house and in the office got sick of hearing me saying that my mom was coming to visit. The night before she came, I couldn’t sleep because I was just so excited for her to finally be here! I went to the airport and waited for what seemed like hours for her to get off the plane and then she finally came! I was so excited to see here I didn’t even know what to do with myself. The week she was here had to be one of the best weeks this year. We spent some time exploring Salford and Manchester, took a day trip to one of England’s oldest cities, Chester. For two days we went down to London and saw some more sites. We also had the opportunity to meet up with some of my fellow YAGMs in London. The week of course went too fast, but I know my mom and I both really enjoyed what time we did get to spend with each other.

It was nice to get a taste of home, even if it was a little taste of all the things that are waiting for me back home. Not only did my mom bring herself to England (obviously) but she also brought me other little pieces of home including real American peanut butter and even a box of my favorite girl scout cookies! While I know the whole point of this year is for me to immerse myself in this country and make this year my life, but it's always nice to get little reminders of where you were just a few months ago. I know things have probably changed back home and many fun events have happened. Everything around me can change, but I know that one thing will always remain. My family and friends love me and I love them. I can go half way around the world and I know in my heart that they all support me and still care about me. I don't think I ever properly thanked them this year for standing by me, so this is my chance to say it.

To all my family and friends, thank you for always being there for me and loving me every step of this once in a lifetime journey. I know it probably hasn't been easy and believe me there isn't a day that goes by you aren't in my thoughts. I also want to apologize for not being the best at communicating this year... I most definitely have dropped the ball on that one. I hope you all know though how much you mean to me. I can't wait to come home and be able to share all of my memories from this place with you and create even more wonderful memories together. I know that I can always count on you all and that if I ever need you, you are only a phone call/ Skype call away. Thank you for grounding me and making me the person I am today and for letting me spread my wings and do the things I have wanted to do in my life. I hope I have made you all proud.