İngiltere'de Noel ve Ocak

After convincing my Professors that I was a strict Christian, and that Christmas was spiritually very important to me, I was able to sit my exams early and go back to England on the 22^nd of December. I was then able to spend 6 weeks back in my homeland, which was much appreciated.

The spirituality of such a visit was distinctly lacking, but the alcohol, cheese, QUORN and much needed reunions were plenty.  This post will be brief as most people reading this I would have spent my time with back at home. Thank you everyone for making it so lovely.

Things that you don’t realize about your home country until you leave it;

POSITIVES

·         How great it is to instantaneously judge people whilst overhearing their conversations on public transport.

·         How wrong you are when you expect everything to have changed whilst you are away.

·         That road regulations are there for a reason, and they should be respected.

·         That Gangham Style doesn’t have to be played on repeat – and it is a good thing that the majority of the world knows this.

·         Cadbury chocolate is the best chocolate.

·         English people drink atleast quadruple that of the entire world. Fact.

·         That your nationality is something that is actually tied to you, and something you can not rid no matter how far away you are.

·         Your family are there – and that’s is where your roots lie.

Negatives

·         Most people on said public transportation are as boring as fuck.

·         English people are unwilling to talk to people they do not know  - and can sometimes be insanely rude.

·         English people drink atleast quadruple that of the entire world. Fact.

·         The Nottingham accent is not sexy.

·         Having to say goodbye is hard, especially in bad circumstances.

RIP Sally Perrons

I would also like to dedicate this to my friend, Sally Perrons who sadly passed away whilst I was visiting. A true inspiration, a beautiful human being taken far too early. May you rest in paradise with all the vodka and cokes you deserve.

I will never forget the last thing Sally said to me as we were discussing my ventures in Turkey. “Life is too short to worry – you should just go for it with full gusto and don’t look back.” I promise I will make this semester count, if only for you Sal.