In the Final Stretch

It is so bizarre to me that I go home in only a week - I honestly don't know how I feel about it.  I feel like it's the end of the semester, so in that sense I am definitely ready to be home.  But at the same time, I've adjusted to life here, so it's hard to imagine just picking up my old life when I get back.  It'll be strange not to see my roommates and friends every day, and not to cook my own meals or walk down the street to go grocery shopping.  However, there are things that I am very excited for:  seeing my friends and family, driving Volvo around Williamsburg (though I am not looking forward to the lack of air conditioning!), and getting started with my summer activities.  We recently had a programme meeting about what it will be like to go home, and how we can reconcile our experiences here with resuming life at home.  I was surprised at the response of one of our students, who wanted to just close the door on his study abroad experience and not look back.  Apparently he didn't really enjoy his time here, but his reaction got me thinking about how life transitions work.  And so when it was my turn to speak in our meeting, my thoughts were mainly directed at his comment, though they applied to everyone.  We can't just close the door on study abroad, and shut out that experience.  Whether we realize it or not, we have been changed by living in a different culture and having adventures with new friends.  Our personalities and lifestyles have been changed by our experiences, and we can't ignore that.  We also can never go back to the way we were - whether we like it or not, we are different people, and we can't just undo that change.  Successful transition comes from acceptance of our experience here, and application of our new selves into our old lifestyles.  Spending time in denial will only make the transition back to American culture more difficult. And now I'll step off of my soap box. :)
In this last week, our time is mostly consumed with exams and final preparations for departure (I'm dreading packing all my stuff up again!).  I know this week will fly by, so I am also trying to get things settled with my Monroe project.  I only have a week at home, so I don't have much time to get everything arranged before moving down there over Memorial Day weekend.  I can't wait to see you all VERY soon! :)