Goodbye, England

Hello all,

Coming back from my trip to Morocco, I realized that I had a significant stash of educational responsibilities to complete in the two weeks remaining. Once that was out of the way, all of the sudden the semester was over. Then Bridget came to visit, and 48 hours later we were off to Italy.

Then Slovenia.

Then Croatia.

Then back to Italy.

Then Greece.

Now I’m back in England, picking up a few things I left behind and taking a overnight ferry to Dublin, where a plane will be waiting tomorrow morning to take me home.

It’s been a good six months or so, and now it feels like i’m finally getting the hang of England. But now it’s time to leave.

Although I’m not overly patriotic, the United States of America has had a 21 year head-start to seep its way into my blood. Upon arrival, one of the first things I noticed was that curry and chips (which aren’t really chips – they’re French fries), Yorkshire pudding (which isn’t really anything close to pudding), and the strangely named beef tomato (which is quite suitable for vegetarians) don’t hold their sway against corn on the cob or homemade chips & salsa or apple pie. For me, at least. You’re still more likely to find me listening to Robert Johnson or Duke Ellington than Orbital or the Stereophonics. It’s more of a force of habit than a matter of choice. As much as I try, I can’t completely adjust or blend into British culture – something in me is still very American, something that’s a part of me and can’t be shaken free.

When i was in Ljubljana, I saw a license plate that read, “America have no fear – Slovenia stands behind you.” I have come to realize that I’m from a nation that does not really hold any boundaries. Ask me where Slovenia ends, and I can more or less show you on a map. Ask me where “America” ends, and I can’t really say. Our films, our music, our sports-team logos, our soft drinks flood the world from Marrakech to Zagreb. This isn’t always a good thing, but it has allowed me to receive a more “knowing” reception from other peoples, be it positive or negative, informed or misinformed.

But now i must return to the core of this far-reaching land, and stare in awe at things that have passed below my field of vision before. We Americans tend to do things in such a big way that the smaller, perhaps more important, definitely more charming things in life can go unnoticed. Although Iowa is not one of the more exciting places in the world, I realize that I’m in the midst of many profound things I have never bothered to investigate or visit. The Field of Dreams is only about an hour from my home and the Effigy National Monument is just past that. Iowa is full of phenomenal natural wonders, from the Loess Hills to the Mississippi River to acres and acres of untamed wild prairie land, that dazzled the eyes of my European ancestors before me. These are places that *have* interested me, but my procrastinator side has frequently won out. We often tend to ignore the treasures so close to our homes, thinking we can see them anytime, but somehow never do.

And these “treasures” I’m speaking of aren’t just places.

I surely will miss England. It will mostly be the treasures of its people, but the sites, the humor, the BBC documentaries, the history, (forgive me British friends but the “quaintness” too), etc., etc., etc. are without equal anywhere else in the universe. It has probably been the greatest learning experience of my life.

But now, returning home, with a new president in office since I left…in a country that’s always reinventing itself…I’m bound for a few surprises.

I’m sure that new adventures are on their way, unfolding at every moment.

Ryan

P.S. I hope to hear from all of you soon about your adventures, wherever you may be….