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| Oxford |
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| The fields of the Cotswold Countryside |
It has been 7 months since we moved from England back to Colorado. I have been surprised how much of a mourning process it has been for me to adjust. Not only did I love the UK but I loved the life we had there. My job, the teens and coworkers I was surrounded by daily, the beautiful Harry Potter-like school we lived at, the community, the diversity of Oxford and London, the trains, the cheap flights to other countries at every school break, the Indian and Middle Eastern food, the drone of pigeons and birdsong, the sheep, the footpaths, the sound of horse hooves clopping down the lane, verdant green landscape, the first buds of Spring following the rain. Exeat weekends in Oxford with the family, long walks around University park, exploring narrow back alleys of the city empty of tourists after sunset, cobblestone streets and stone walls. Pubs from the 1300s, spires and churches, Evensong at Christchurch and concerts at the Bodlein, thousands of bikes. Yellow fields in May, horses galloping at Daylesford, weekly runs with my cross-country class, exploring villages with names like Lower Slaughter and Stow in the Wold. Christmas markets, poppers, words like brilliant, keen and cheeky. The clerks asking "Are you alright?" as you queue at the till to take your groceries from the trolley and strange holidays such as Guy Fawkes and Boxing day. Zipping into London to catch a show, going days without using my car, little cafes with European treats, barbershops and butchers on the High street, buskers entertaining, historical buildings on every corner, open stalls overflowing with flowers and goods.
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| London with my dear friend |
Blackberry bushes and apple orchards out the backdoor, making jam and cobbler from my pickings, canals with longboats, walking the grounds of Blenheim palace, sharing a "cuppa" with Charlbury neighbors, summer festivals, hedgerows, the ziplines in every park, Chipping Norton at sunset, healthy options at Petrol stations, zebra crossings, politically incorrect signs like "Elderly person crossing".. the list goes on and on.
It is not that I don't love America. I do, I am very patriotic and still cry at those Youtube videos showing soldiers coming home and when songs like "God Bless the USA" play on the radio. It was just a bit of culture shock returning to life in the fast lane. It is unavoidable here. I tried walking to the store the first week we moved back. After walking 3 miles up a hill with 4 bags of groceries, I quickly realized that everything here is just farther away. Until your teen drives here they are completely dependent on you for every transportation need. No walking to the bus stop or hopping on the train. The afterschool activities in England are rolled into the school day. No driving kids 30 minutes to Club soccer or to a class across town. My first trip back to Walmart this summer was complete sensory overload as well. I stood for a full 10 minutes in the cereal aisle scanning the options but there was not one box of Muesli to be found. It is convenient though
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| Colorado, USA |
to be able to get groceries, nails and a rubber spatula all in one place again! This leads me to my next thought: CONSUMERISM. Being back in the land of strip malls and Walmarts, I find myself spending a lot more money here. A quick trip for milk and I end up finding 20 other items I need as well as popping into Home Depot for some home item and bang.. $200 poorer. Don't even get me started on Costco! I am already completely addicted to this super warehouse again and keep our American mega fridge and pantry stocked with its wares. We actually had a Costco in England too but it was an hour away and we had no fridge or storage space to put any of it. I got used to living more simply and my stress level was lower because of it.
Before you think I will become an Ex-Pat and permanently move back to the other side of the pond I have to list some of the things I love about the good ol USA: Colorado Springs specifically. I love the big bright sky! Sunny days in January despite snow being on the ground. Neighbors who are like family. Healthy growing churches of believers who are working together to help their communities, public schools that are tops in the country, mountain vistas, big puffy white clouds, thunderstorms in the summer, 4th of July parades, the distant drone of Santa Fe railroad freight trains blowing their horn, access to National forest and public land nearby, super friendly sales clerks, screens in windows, garbage disposals, finished basements with pool tables or ping pong, lots of storage space, automatic water dispensers on the front of fridges, new plumbing, wide open roads, deer feeding in my back yard, hiking 14,000 ft peaks, Friday night football games and basketball, camping in the middle of nowhere, Varsity sports, ski areas, jacuzzis and big man trucks like the Diesel GMC extended cab my husband drives. These are just a few things off the top of my head that make me glad to be back home. I am over the hump, I don't get sad every time I think about England anymore. I do think of it with fondness and a smile though. It was a special time in our lives that I will always cherish and I hope to visit regularly but we are back where we were born to be.
God bless America and the Queen!
