After being in a different country for a year, going back home was sad and a little bit shocking even though I've lived there for 20 out of the 21 years of my life. I was excited to see my family and friends, sleep in my own bed and eat some home-cooked food. But, I knew I was going to miss my new friends from England and all the places I had been and traditions I started getting used to. The first thing I did after I got back (after hugging my family for ages and catching them up on what I've been doing for a year) was make a scrapbook of all my favorite memories from aboad. I kept a lot of little bits of tickets and receipts and brochures that I put next to some of the pictures I took. I think this helped remind me of fun things I got to do over the past year and in a way it was comforting to know that I could look at it whenever I missed it and remember everything.
Starting school again will be interesting since I will have to remember what things are different here and reconnect with my old classmates. People have already asked me questions about where I've been and why I've been gone for so long. I am also aware of the differences in workload and exams between Manchester and Michigan.
Overall, I feel incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to spend a year in a foreign country and adapt to a new culture. Learning about the interests and beliefs of others whose are totally different to mine has made me think about and question my own. It taught me to be more understanding of people who are different to me and appreciate their ideas even though they may seem 'weird' compared to what's accepted generally. I loved meeting new people from all over the world and going to so many countries in Europe. I hope to go back again sometime to visit people and see new places I didn't get to see while I was there.
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