My flights home were long and largely uneventful. I think I am used to long transport and by the time I got to New York, I was surprised by how natural and familiar everything was. I stepped on the plane back to Indianapolis and it felt as though I could have been jumping on a flight from Kansas City to Indianapolis (one I have done many many times). Fortunately customs and all of my luggage travelled with me and safely and was there upon arrival in Indianapolis.
Seeing my family was a rush of emotions. I was so happy to see them and at the same time struck by the familiarity. Had I really been gone that long. This wasn't new or weird, it was as though I had never left. My first meal back home was a burger because well, that is certainly something that the UK hasn't impressed me with and I was quickly brought up to date with everything that had happened at home and in Indianapolis.
It is about this time that the challenges of being away from a long period of time presented themselves. Over the next two weeks, I would be asked repeatedly about my experiences abroad and I would be faced with the difficulty of compressing and distilling that experience into a manageable bite. Would I talk about daily life in Oxford or the multitude of cities I had visited. Would I focus on the social and emotional challenges and joys, the cultural exchanges. It often left me feeling dissatisfied as I could only give the most general of statements or would rush to move the conversation away from my experiences.
Over the next couple days I would try to return to some semblance of my old life and I would be reminded why the life I had made in Oxford was infinitely better. Food was more natural and less modified, everything was in walking distance, I had many friends who were easily accessible and I was less cluttered by all the technology which encouraged reclusive behaviour. I was also disappointed to find that despite feeling healthier, all my travels may not have been better for my weight. Even the weather was disappointing, as I stepped off of the plane, after 60 degree weather on a beach in Barcelona, to be greeted with snow and cold.
I made the effort and met up with old friends and it really was pleasurable to see them and catch up. I found an archery range and the people running it were more than kind and helpful, but the location was a good hour drive away. I got to see my aunts and uncles whom I had sorely missed and was able to eat at some of the restaurants that I missed. My parents had gotten membership at a gym and despite my weight gain I quickly realized that I was at the peak of my health so far, running a 5K on my first day at the gym.
But the time continued to race by and I became increasingly stressed. I took a few days and made the 7 hour drive to my college and for a few days some of the stress lessened. I got to see my best friend, whom I missed dearly, and got to catch up with professors and plan some of my senior year. I may even have a job for next year (during the year) as a tutor. It was also the first time that I was forced to sit down and do some of the work that was jumped on me over this break and was even able for the first time in two years, donate blood (which always makes me feel good).
So what did going home teach me? I don't want to go back to my old routines. Despite regularly exercising at the gym, I feel less healthy and more concerned about my weight and health than I ever had at home. Part of this is because the cities I am living in are not conducive to an active lifestyle. I am going to seek my future home to encourage productive walking and greater emphasis on outdoors. I am going to seek those communities that make Oxford an enjoyable place to live and make extreme efforts to find foods that are not laden with all of the salts and fats that I have come to realize saturate the American markets. The foods that sustain me will hopefully be healthier and in turn make me feel better about myself. My hobbies and the things I love need to be closer as well. It is taxing to lose 2 hours of your life driving to the archery range, or having to drive 7 hours to see close friends. So maybe I am wrong. All of this most certainly is a little bit of culture shock, but I wouldn't say it is due to disparate cultures between the US and the UK. This is me confronting the reality of the way I was living and forcing me to implement the changes such that all the lessons I learned while abroad can be applied to make me a much healthier and happier person. I don't regret coming home and am still grateful for the breathes and breaks that it provided me. It also has made me more excited for this coming year and the new challenges I face. I look forward to returning to Oxford and particularly the Archery Isle of Man trip coming up.
Until next time,
Adventures Await!
KH
No comments:
Post a Comment