Farewell, England.
It’s almost been a year since I arrived in the UK, unsure of what to expect but ready for whatever the year brought. Now it’s time for me to leave and I wanted to make a final post about the adventures of 2014.
There’s no way to sum up an entire year, let alone one spent on the other side of the world. I suppose I should begin by satisfying the cliches - it’s been brilliant, I’ve changed and grown, I’m going to miss it all. But it’s all a good deal more complicated than that. I’ve found it difficult to fill in the blanks about the emotional side of it all because it’s not something that can be neatly arranged in a box (which is not doing my OCD tendencies any good - I mean, I’m the girl who sharpened a tub of pencils for the nursery class and arranged them in not just rainbow colour order but height and brand order too. And I did that despite fully understanding that when the task was done the pencils were just going to go right back in the tub, all mixed up).
Naturally, there are things I will miss and things I won’t miss.
I will miss:
- cheaper, quicker postage on Amazon
- the Highstreet shopping opportunities including TopShop, Urban Outfitters, River Island, Superdrug and the ever charming Primark (which I have found is generally bearable but should be completely avoided on a Saturday afternoon. There is actually an old saying that’s used by English mothers upon catching sight of their teenage daughter’s bedrooms that goes, “It’s like Primark on a Saturday afternoon! And give it a hoover while you’re at it.”)
- the delightful accents (I don’t think I will actually be able to bear Australian accents after getting used to the gentle lilt of the slightly posh tones of the south of England).
- the non-threatening, rather delightful creatures know as ‘wild life’ (hedgehogs, deer, squirrels, etc).
I won’t miss:
- the 4pm winter sunsets
- the need to prepare for every eventuality regarding the weather when you leave the house (have I got my gloves, factor 50 sunscreen, gumboots - pardon - wellies, sunglasses, hat, jumper, rain coat, umbrella, snow suit, shorts, t-shirt and a spare pair of socks?)
- the words ‘crisps’, ‘oh, bless’ and ‘poorly’
- their pronunciation of the word ‘pasta’
- the lack of knowledge about what a ‘paddle-pop stick’ is (I mean, they have them, they just don’t have a name for them)
- what ever is in the air that gave me year-round hay fever
Something I won’t miss is the way people here see Tasmania as almost a separate country to Australia. I think it’s something to do with the scale their minds are used to. For them, when I say it’s just an hour flight to the mainland, they say ‘Oh gosh, that is quite a distance then’ because it only takes that long for them to fly to another continent. I think they see it the same way they see New Zealand; a tiny little place off the coast of the mysterious, dangerous, hulking mass that is Australia. And I hope I never again have to listen to people telling me how lucky I am to live in such a sunny, hot place because here’s the thing: Tasmanian weather and English weather are pretty much exactly the same. It could rain in the morning but the sun might come out later or visa-versa and it could be freezing in the height of summer and summer on a whole is rather average as far as summer weather goes - the only difference is that it doesn't quite get freezing enough for proper snow in Tasmania, just in the mountains. Not that I’ve seen snow since I’ve been in England, which is something of a disappointment.
Let me have a serious moment now. I’ve come to know a whole school community of people in less than a year and now I have to leave these people and potentially never see them again. And that feels a little unfair. In my mind, that only gives credit to the wonderful people I’ve encountered and the fantastic experience I have had. The children that I have worked with have brought so much love and joy to my year and I can only hope for the brightest, loveliest futures for each and every one of them. I think one of the things I will truly miss most is being gifted with six-year-old artistic creations and having a laugh at the unintentionally hilarious things they say.
I’ve just taken a cheeky break and I have to say, you know you’re turning properly English when you have the choice between a hot chocolate and a cup of tea and you don’t even have to think about it because a cup of tea is, let’s face it, the only answer.
Ok so, before I finish up, there’s a little secret I should share and I don’t want you to freak out. Here it is: *deep breath* I’ve gone a whole year without ironing a single thing. Let me explain - in the beginning I didn’t need to iron anything but that progressed to me deciding, in that delightful way that only nineteen year olds can, that nothing ever really needs ironing anyway which in the end became a sort of challenge - did I have the will power to not iron anything all year? Apparently the answer is yes, I do have the mental strength to refrain from the ever so tempting thrill of eradicating wrinkles from clothing. I’m not sure if this particularly contributed to my growth as a person (I’m inclined to think along the lines of ‘no, it did not’ but I remain openminded), but it’s something I wanted to bring up.
The volunteer gap year program that Lattitude runs is such an amazing opportunity and I would unhesitatingly recommend it. Thank you to everyone who supported me this year and everyone who had a part, big or small, in my experience - all my love.