Coming back home was a pretty big upheaval. Not only did I have to deal with jetlag, but I also had to move in to my house and start university – all in three days. Initially it felt like a backwards culture shock. Gone were the American accents, the yellow taxis of New York City and the George Washington dollar bills. Instead I found myself dealing with people who sounded strange to me, trying not to get run over as I looked the other way to cross the road and seeing the Queen’s head everywhere.
Return jetlag was an usual experience. I had attempted to get a few hours sleep on the plane, which did work, and it kept me going until around 2pm that day. After that time I completely crashed and had to be guided around the supermarket by Emma. All I can remember is looking at things on the shelves in the supermarket and not being able to understand what the writing meant. I think I slept for about 14 hours that night, which was the best feeling in the world.
Of course, it goes without saying that the opportunity to see all my friends again was a lovely experience. It was comforting to know that they missed me, and the feeling was likewise with many of them. Seeing the cathedral of Lincoln was such a remarkable sight – I’d rather have that over all the skyscrapers and sights of New York City.
And yes, I miss a lot about the USA. Every day was an adventure, and it did open my eyes to a lot of things. I feel like I had changed so much when Lincoln was still the same. The same faces, the same shops, the same outrageous drinks costs in certain bars. I believe if I was out there any longer I would have found it more difficult to adjust, the US way of life is addictive and it sucked me in. Lincoln just felt so bland by comparison.
In any case, it’s good to be back and doing my degree again. The journalism gang made my return so worthwhile, and I've got a tonne of memories to remind me of how much I've changed. My American Dream is over, now to get a 1st this year in my degree!
