April 30, 1999
The weather for the last couple of days has been absolutely gorgeous: blue skies, green grass dotted with tiny white daisies, and pleasant breezes. It's not warm, at least not by LA standards, but it's quite pleasant (most of my fellow students here, of course, seem to think it's hot). All the sunshine has me feeling chipper. It's almost as if Ma Nature knew I'd like to write my last column in a good mood, and end my correspondence with my faithful readers on a pleasant note.
blankYes, this is my last column, as the lucky folks at Oxy are about to take exams and go home. I, on the other hand, have just started my second (and last) term here, and have nine weeks of classes left. But it won't all be schoolwork; I have travel plans, too - weekends away from campus, and a couple weeks on the continent after class gets out at the end of June. It's fitting, when I think about it; this column is ending, but my experiences here haven't quite, and I'm beginning to see that they won't ever, really.
blankThey tell you studying abroad will change your life, but I didn't think they meant it.
blankHaving been here is going to affect how I see the US when I get back, and working with British students and professors here will change how I see my fellow Oxy students and professors. It's already changed how I see myself. I'm learning things about how my mind works and how I relate to the world around me, and getting ideas for things I want to do with my life. I've learned how to plan a trip, and how I react to culture shock.. I've discovered that it's possible to be homesick and not want to leave at the same time.
blankOh, I'm definitely looking forward to going back to Oxy and the States, but I'm also going to enjoy my remaining time here. I know that I'll miss things about York when I'm Stateside again as much as I miss things from home now. And like Bill Bryson says in Notes from a Small Island (which I highly recommend for anyone planning to come to England - and everyone else, for that matter): I know I'm going to be back.
blankSo farewell, my faithful readers. It's been illuminating, trying to condense my experiences into words; I hope it's been illuminating (or at least interesting) for you as well. All good things, of course, must come to an end. But before I go, here are a couple of top ten lists, the products of my meditations on things I'm going to miss:
10. Willy Wonka's Everlasting Gobstoppers
9. Stores open 24hrs a day, seven days a week.
8. Email and a phone in my room.
7. My own mailbox (York just has pigeon holes)
6. Having a job (and thus more spending cash)
5. Decent mochas on campus.
4. New movies (the UK is a couple months behind LA)
3. My friends and family.
2. A sense of camaraderie in the dorms
1. Going to see the Red Elvises in Santa Monica!
10. The money (it's prettier than ours)
9. Cheap Tandoori takeaway.
8. Cafeterias in every college.
7. The porters.
6. Immediate access to new British films.
5. British bookstores (more expensive, yes, but with a rather different selection of books!)
4. The sense of history.
3. My British friends.
2. The weather (I like it chilly).
1. The way people talk!
