My last day here rolled around way too quickly. It's hard to believe that months of planning and saving up can be over so quickly but I've had the best time. I've done everything there is to do, see everything there is to see and met someone new every day. I am both lucky and grateful that I have formed such amazing friendships around the world and that I have been able to return and visit them like we haven't ever been apart. However there is a certain heartbreak that is attached to any kind of long distance relationship. Not knowing when you will next see eachother is hard, but the fact that we will able to see eachother again someday, whenever that may be, is something that I am truly thankful for.
This morning, Taylor had no classes so we went to get coffee at Fritz's and then I grabbed a bagel from a shop up the road. Got to make the most of American cuisine! We then went to her friend Brianna's place to catch up. I saw her briefly the other night on campus but it was nice to finally get to talk properly. Due to an unexpected and unfortunate circumstance, we decided to use the rest of my last day to explore the remaining 4 campuses of Rutgers.
I got to see the huge football stadium and as you may know, I freaking love football! There is a game tomorrow, if only I could stay one day longer!! Most of the athletics take place on the Busch campus and after seeing the great sports facilities, we got the bus to the Livingston campus.
This campus was like a town! But nicer! It was full of shops and restaurants and even a movie theatre! I just can't imagine anything like this on Reading campus.
After walking around and doing a tiny bit more shopping- I got some Rutgers socks, I couldn't help myself!- we stopped by this amazing fro yo place.
I got watermelon and vanilla yogurt with an abundance of fruit and toppings. After we stopped by the house, I packed up most of my things and we had a cute Rutgers themed photo shoot. We sat out on the balcony for a while, soaking up the sun and before long it was time to get a late lunch.
We went to a sit down restaurant for the first time in a while! I got potachos- like nachos but made with thicker potato slices which were amazing!
By the time we got back from lunch it was time for me to go to the airport. Taylor drove me- thanks so much!- and with my 2 suitcases and backpack in hand, we said a heartfelt but hopeful goodbye. Like I said, I'm so lucky to have met Taylor when she was in England and it's been so insightful to finally experience her college lifestyle here, in comparison to mine at Reading and at Ole Miss. It was definitely a different vibe but I loved it!
I checked in to my flight with a Manchester United fan behind the desk and conversation soon turned to football. For those of you that don't know, I had to borrow a rather garish LeicesterCity luggage belt from my Dad after mine was snapped off during my flight from Detroit! I have enjoyed the football hooligan vibe but also name drop the premier league winners to most Americans I meet. I even met a fellow Leicester City fan on the tour through this strap: hi Neal!!
I must admit everything about this trip has worked out just great. From our famiy holiday in Orlando, to getting to see Hillary and my beloved Ole Miss again, to Danaes family conveniently being in LA at the same time and including me in their adventures, to Alyssa and Ben's visit coinciding with mine, to going on the fantastic tour round the West coast with one of my favourite people in the world and probably the only one I could actually stand to travel with, to our tour group meeting up on our own accord in San Fran even after the tour had finished, to being reunited with Taylor and meeting all the people closest to her! Thank you so much to every single person that has been a part of my last 6 weeks and for making it a trip of a lifetime! I will remember it all- with the help of this blog!
However, with always moving on to the next location, I've never had time to reflect on what I was leaving behind. With this being my last stop, I was overwhelmed by the thought of having to leave every person and every place and every experience behind and it hit me all at once. America will always be special to me, and I have even more reason to visit often with so many close connections all over the states. It's amazing and I feel truly lucky to have met and encountered every single person. If any of you are ever in the UK, get in touch!
So that's me for now. It's been a blast!
Em- over and out,
X
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