Mike, Madre, Gramma Stella, Danielle and Me in frontHello All, and MERRY CHRISTMAS
Sorry I haven't wrote in over a month, things have been extremely crazy for me. I had a safe but yet again very eventful journey back home December 10th. It was very hard and emotional for me to leave. I very much enjoyed my time in England and can't wait to go back soon! I made some great friends and whom I would like to consider family. I don't really want to get into ALL the boring details of the trip home but lets just say, EVERY flight got delayed and my original plan of traveling for 17 hrs was added 10 more hours. A grand total from Bath to Portersville was 27.5hrs long.
I have to admit that I do have a new outlook on home now. Things have been somewhat stressful upon my return. But that is just life I guess. I just was kinda used to the more quieter side of life for 3 months. But I am readjusting. I thought it would be more difficult to get used to being back on the right side of the road, since in England they are on the wrong side :P but I do admit a few times I caught myself going to the now driver side of the car, when I had trouble back in England trying to go to the driver side of the car (which is our passenger side of the car). It is kinda amazing about how spaced out things are here. Stuart told me he felt this way when he came over to the US over the summer, but I guess you dont realize it so much when it is all you know. Now driving around and things are so far apart and there is free parking.. We here just take that for granted. you go into a supermarket and park in a HUGE parking lot for free. (and for unlimited amount of time). It is a rare treat in England to have free parking, but even then it is limited 2-3 hour average, or you have to pay by the hour..
It is also much colder here. I have on my computer the temperature in Linoln and Bath and here at home as well. A few days ago we were like 5-10 F and Bath and Lincoln was like 45-50 F. But they think that is cold... luxery, when I was young,.... oh wait, I'm still young..ish lols! but no seriously. today is Christmas and there is no snow, this is the 2nd year in a row with no snow. I really dont like snow, but I have to admit it is rather depressing to have a green Christmas.
My mother is very happy this year for the only reason that she finally got her "Deer Horns" lols. I have to admit they are pretty nice. I never actually got to see it, but it tasted good.. I was living in Erie when she totalled the van with it. These "horns" would make any hunter jealous...
Since I've come to know more people in the States via the net it's given me an appreciation of just how mild the UK climate can be in comparisson to other places with a similar latitude. Thank heavens for the warming effect of the Gulf Stream! For example were I to head East an admitedly considerable distance inland I would find myself in Siberia and probably in need of a warmer jacket - I understand that the winters can get a little chilly there.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can well imagine that things must seem very spread out now that you are back home. The spaces are simply vast by UK stanards. It is, I should think, an outcome of your contry's generaly low population density and that the development of much of your infrastructure occured in tandem with the automoblile.
I'm not entirely sure which I prefer. The large open spaces in the US are fantastic, especially the fact that you have large areas of wilderness, but although the houses being so far apart is very expansive it does tend to mean that one has to drive almost everywhere.
Ah yes, the joy of free parking whenever one wants it; but the harder and more expensive it is to park in town the more likely I am to jump in the car rather than on my bicycle. Of course now that the gas prices are down again it might not seem like a great problem but oil is a diminishing resourse and the prices of gas will inevitably go up again to what they were over the summer and higher.
I'll be interested to see how your transport system changes over the next thirty years or so. Perhaps we will start seeing more 'walkable communities' to use a buzz word?
Have a great Christmas/New Year sis. Lots of love and take care. Stuart.