Summer With the Spires

On Tuesday, all of my Holy Cross and American friends left to start their summer back in America, and I moved into the Catholic Chaplaincy to begin my summer in Oxford. On Tuesday afternoon, I received text messages from my American friends to let me know that they arrived at Heathrow and were waiting for their planes; Margaret ended hers with, “Well, this is the last time that I’ll be using my British mobile!” That’s when it hit me. My year abroad is rapidly coming to an end. It hit me even more square in the nose last night when I helped Sam pack up his room; he’s moving to London in the next couple of days. Yszi is still hanging around the city to complete some research, but she’s also going back home on the weekends. Lorna is finishing her exams today, and then she’s off back to Liverpool. It’s just weird to watch a city in which I’ve lived for the past nine months empty so rapidly over the course of a couple of days. I will admit that I was wondering whether I made the right choice to stay here during the summer on Tuesday. As my friends talked about eating American burgers, sleeping in their own beds, and driving their cars, I will admit that I was jealous that they get to go home. Suddenly, the wise words of my parents regarding this summer were ringing in my ears. However, I now know that I made the right choice because as I was moving into the Catholic Chaplaincy, I realized that I’m not ready to leave Oxford yet. Although I really wanted to go home on Tuesday (isn’t that supposed to happen toward the beginning of your study abroad experience?), I know that I would’ve been extremely unhappy if I actually did go home. There’s so much more that I want to see and do in Oxford. There are so many books that I need to read for my senior thesis. There’s so much that I still need to explore in England. So, although I’d love an American burger right now, I’m quite excited for the different experience in Oxford that awaits me this summer.

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