A fair number of you know I’m thinking this
so I’m just going to go ahead and say it…I want to go home. That’s right, I
want to go home. Don’t get me wrong or anything, London is great and I’m still
glad that I came here. And, yes, I’ve had some wonderful opportunities, etc.,
etc. But London isn’t home. Even after I have been here for (very nearly) seven months and I am NOT a tourist, thank you very much, it’s still not home.
I miss my parents. I miss having a
conversation with them without scheduling a time to skype and without being
interrupted every 10 minutes (on a good day, more like 30 seconds on a bad day)
by my decidedly sub-par internet connection. I miss talking to them every day
even when I don’t have anything to say. I miss going out on our boat as a
family and playing cards together (and trying to avoid being the "biggest loser"). I miss my dog, Liesl. She is a stinker, but
she is my little stinker. I miss her wet nose and floppy ears and short little
tail. I miss how her whole body shakes when she wags her tail and how she manages to hog the (full-size) bed at night (despite her small size).
I miss my friends. People who I can just
talk to and who completely understand me. People who I understand. People who can finish my sentences and
I theirs. (Granted, not all of said people are in Poulsbo, but I miss them all
the same.) Yeah, I miss you Allison and Sam and Kariann. And I miss “my kids.”
Okay, they’re not really my kids, but I miss Karlina and Calvin. When I left,
they had just turned 5 and 1 respectively. Do you know how much kids change in
7 months?!!? I do! Karlina is learning to read (and doing really well) and
Calvin has learned to walk and talk since I’ve been away (and yes, he has
learned to say Abbey and makes my year every time I hear him say it on Skype).
I miss hugs.* I miss my family and friends
and my church (even though I found a great church here too). I
miss familiarity. I miss good internet! Everything is just a little bit harder
in another country, even an English-speaking one. And it all adds up to the
point where every day it feels like I’m fighting something (mostly my internet
or dirty kitchen). And I’m tired of fighting. Don’t worry, I’m not giving up. I
still have 5 more months and I will continue to fight (and Mr. internet, I WILL
win!). But I am finally more than half way through my time here!
This is
the longest I have ever gone without going home or seeing my parents
in person. So I’m probably more homesick than I have ever been (although it is
a different kind of homesick than when I was six and couldn’t go away
from home for one night). Since I wanted to use this blog to tell you what my time in London
is like, I felt like it wouldn’t be honest if I never shared these thoughts.
Because even though things are great here and I still have wonderful
opportunities, I do think a lot about home. So, I’ve decided to lay all my
cards on the table and tell you honestly, I want to go home.
We miss you too!
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