22 May, 2012

10 days.

It's officially 10 days until I come home, so here are 10 things I'm very excited about:

1. Being reunited with family and friends. I haven't seen the most important people in my life in nine months. I've been doing some stretches and push-ups to prepare for all the hugging I'm going to do. Kidding. But seriously, I'm going to hug you in half. Just a heads up.

2. Being reunited with my animals. My cats don't understand Skype. I spoke French to my kitty the other day (because I know how to talk to cats in French) and she ran away. I'm legitimately afraid she won't remember me. And my dogs, I miss them lots. We'll go on lots of long walks and I'll take Buddy to Bradford Beach and it'll be super fun.

3. Being able to communicate with people via phone and not dealing with a seven hour time difference in general. My computer has two clocks running so I don't have to do math, but being closer to everything will be nice. Also so I can stay better in tune with the news cycle...because that's important to me.

4. Not having to think in such temporary terms when making a purchase. Here, I have to think "Do I want to bring this home? Do I have this at home?" when buying something. I'm looking forward to not being between places and just planting myself for a while.

5. Meeting my "new" car. My brother took our beloved Red Baron to Oklahoma for his internship, and I'm entering the real world as a college grad. In America, this means I need my own car. I explained the situation to my mom and step dad a few months ago just to give them a heads up, and they took care of me like they always do. I'm so grateful for that.

6. Rejoining American politics. I've missed them so much. It was really hard for me to go from sitting in the balcony of the House of Representatives watching Barney Frank make fun of Speaker Boehner for crying, to sitting in an internet-less apartment on the other side of the world. I'm super excited for campaign work. I've long been aware of the fact that my reentry to the States timed perfectly with when the 2012  cycle would be picking up, so this has always been the plan.

7. Being able to go buy milk wearing whatever I want. I never leave my apartment without wearing something cute, a bit of makeup, and more often than not, a scarf. Don't get me wrong, I like looking good all the time. I just want the option to be there for me to wear sweatpants and a t-shirt.

8. Being able to think about a bigger picture. I'm not working to pay for the next semester, get through a summer class, or dread becoming an RA again in a few weeks. This is my life now. I'm looking for experience to carefully build a budding political resume and pay my bills.

9. Having my shoes back. Sorry, this is a bit shallow...but I really love my shoes. I have too many of them. Europe hated my "giant" feet and wouldn't sell me anything in a store. It taught me to live a bit more simply which is nice, but the thought of going home to so many options is really exciting for me.

10. Not having people judge me every time I open my mouth based on pronunciation. I have made a great amount of progress with my French this year, but it's always so much better when I'm speaking with other students or friends my age than it is if I'm speaking with a stranger or a clerk somewhere. This country has definitely gone from laughing at me to laughing with me, which is cute. I came to that conclusion on my spring break trip and if that's all that happens--I'm okay with it.

                                

No comments:

Post a Comment