A Lake Overseas

I just wrapped up my paper on studying abroad for my Intercultural Communication class. I like the conclusion to it, so I thought I’d post it here.

Studying abroad was the best and most important decision I have made throughout my college years. It was probably not a financially sound decision, but studying abroad has had the biggest impact on my development as a person of any of my college experiences. Studying abroad taught me so many things that are impossible to learn inside a classroom. Studying abroad taught me about the world beyond my backyard. Studying abroad taught me that the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays. Studying abroad taught me that British prefer their potato chips in strange flavors, like prawn cocktail. Studying abroad taught me that Big Ben is not as tall as you imagine. Studying abroad taught me that the Eiffel Tower is much taller than you imagine. Studying abroad taught me that you can, in fact, break your finger falling down the stairs and end up having to undergo surgery and months of rehabilitation. Studying abroad taught me that I am capable of handling this situation on my own. Studying abroad taught me that English biscuits are vastly superior to American cookies. Studying abroad taught me that sometimes, no matter how much you plan ahead, the taxi might just not show up and you might have to jog 40 minutes across a city to catch your train.  Studying abroad taught me to not be afraid to try new things. Studying abroad taught me that having a burger delivered to your front door at midnight can be the most delicious meal ever. Studying abroad taught me exactly how much I appreciate and love my family. In many ways, studying abroad taught me who I am. Studying abroad taught me what I want to be. Studying abroad taught me who others are. The most important lessons I have learned, I learned while studying abroad. In a broader sense, studying abroad taught me intercultural competence. Even though I was not aware of it at the time, my everyday interactions in England were constantly teaching me about what it takes to be interculturally competent. People can trivialize my experiences and chalk this trip up as “just another experience a spoiled college student does not truly appreciate” all they want. This trip was so much more than that. My semester in England taught me the skills and abilities to survive in our increasingly globalized world. 

I can’t believe all of this is over. It was an absolutely fantastic experience. 

But it sure is good to be home!

UNIVERSE ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!

Merry Christmas, y’all :)

If the weather is too bad for me to get a flight home, then the weather is too bad for you to be wearing shorts. Go dig out the harem pants you were so obsessed with in October.

You sir, are a gigantic tool. (Tony Douglas, CEO of Heathrow Airport)

So far, our flight tomorrow hasn’t been cancelled. Right now, we could really use your prayers/positive thoughts/whatever you want that we will get out tomorrow and make it home safely and on time. Please. It would literally be the greatest gift I can ever imagine.

You  have absolutely no excuse for this. You got FOUR FREAKING INCHES OF SNOW. That truly isn’t very much snow. It certainly is not enough to close down your largest airport for 2 days. You live in a climate where it snows. SNOW SHOULD NOT SURPRISE YOU. And if you’re a huge freaking airport that closed for a WEEK last year because of snow, then you should know how to deal with snow. Learn from your mistakes, dammit. Buy enough snow removal equipment to ACTUALLY REMOVE THE SNOW. I don’t care if this is the earliest it’s snowed in England in 100 years, it’s mid-December. It’s winter. Winter means snow. It’s not a hard concept, unless I guess, if you are English. I would recommend watching the weather. This “massive, surprise” snowstorm has been in the forecast for over a week. You had time to prepare for it. You only have yourselves to blame for not being ready. Do you realize how many people might not be able to get home for Christmas? That will have to spend their holidays in your crappy airport? Do you even care about anything except making money? You ought to be absolutely ashamed of yourselves. Watching the news reports on the weather actually disgusts me. You are pathetic. You need to deal with your climate, not let your climate control you. Because the “frigid” temperatures you’re all crying about? That’s about 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Want to guess how cold it is where I live (where I’m trying to get by Christmas)? A hell of a lot colder than that. And they’ve got a lot more snow too. But were their flights cancelled?  No. Because they know that winter is snowy and cold. So they invested in the material to work around it. It’s really not that hard. If you can’t afford snow plows, Tesco sells shovels and sand. I already plan on never, ever flying through England again, but if my flight on Tuesday gets cancelled due to “severe weather”, the results will not be pretty. That’s a guarantee. To sum this all up, I just want to say, “SCREW YOU”.

I’m sorry about the rant, everyone. But I really needed to get that off my chest. The whole situation here is really just plain ridiculous.

I just want to go home. Is that too much to ask?

FRENCH FOOD IS AMAZING!