Autonomy

My desire to return to the UK has been so strong lately that I feel like I need to step back and look at it a bit more closely. There are a few reasons, but one important one is the feeling of absolute independence that I felt in the UK. My first, and only other experience in the UK was doing study abroad for a year, and in that time I was alone and scared and I had no clue what I was doing. At the same time, I knew exactly what I was doing. I was fullfilling a lifetime goal, no matter what it took. I was proving to myself and others just how much I could do by myself and how much I could take care of myself.

I feel like my UK life is totally seperate from my life in America, and I love it. Only two people from my American life visited me in the UK, and only two people from my UK life understand both my American and UK lives. I actually want to keep it that way. I don't want to take people back with me to the UK, I want to fly over by myself and meet up with my old life there, no American strings attached. I feel like the UK belongs to me, and I want to keep it that way.

Knit and Purl Across Cultures

Did you know that there are two ways to create knit stiches and purl stitches?  The British and the Americans actually use different techniques to create the same stitch.  And somehow, I have wound up practicing American knit stitches and British purl stitches.  It's like I'm half British and half American.

I think it's a sign.

PNN is going to Wales

By Definition.

Anglophile:  Lover of things English.  One who greatly admires England or the English.

I am whole heartily an Anglophile, but I must augment this dictionary definition a bit to suit my needs.  I am a lover of all things British, not just English.  Britain encapsulates England, Scotland, North Ireland, and my dearly beloved Wales.  After spending a year abroad in Wales, I cannot leave them, or any other British culture out of my heart.  I love them all.

A little proof that I am an Anglophile:

I love Tetelys, and think that American chocolate is crap next to Cadbury's.

I catch myself speaking not in a British accent, but in a Bristish speech pattern.  I structure my sentences a bit differently and use words that exist in American English, but are used more commonly in "The Queen's English."

Men with British accents make me swoon, even if they aren't all that terribly attractive.  Ask my roomate.

Welshcakes, cider, and Sunday dinners.

When British people visit my workplace I always make sure that I am the one serving them.

I try to explain funny sceens in Black Books to people, but realize that it doesn't sound funny in a footnote because British humor relys so much on build up.

I love British humor.  I love how inane or mundane things brought up in the first five minutes of a thirty minute sitcome will have your roaring by the last ten minutes.

Castles.  Sigh.

Wordsworth, Gothic Lit, Romantic Lit, Modern Lit, pretty much ALL British Lit.  Seriously, how do they pan out so much good stuff over the centuries?

Harry Potter.

Sausage Rolls.

I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

I'm turning into Cameron Diaz for Christmas.

It's official! I am going to Wales for Christmas! I am so excited because I haven't been in the UK since June 2004, which means that I haven't seen many of my UK friends since then. Yippee! Here are some things I am looking forward to doing:

• Going on the London Eye and in the Tower of London. Those are two tourist attractions I missed last time. I used to think the London Eye looked kind of boring and had too long of a line, but I decided it would be fun with reservations and friends. The Tower detered me because of the price, but now I say sod it!
• Meeting Ashley's family. I've never met them before, and I am quite excited!
• Seeing Ashley, and all my other pals. Duh!
• Buying Christmas ornaments at Harrod. They are so pretty!
• Christmas in the UK. It's magical.
• Two and a half weeks of vacation!
• Re-painting Swansea red with my old pals and gals. Ah, the good old times.
• Sunday dinners and tea.
• The train.
• The rain.
• The cold.
• The castles.
• Cadbury's