The hardest part in going back to Oxford is going to be all the things that get lost in translation. I can't tell a funny a story about, say, Mazzo without explaining what Mazzo is and why it was so great, and by that point, even a really good friend would be looking around, thinking of all the things they'd rather be doing than listening to me wax poetic about study abroad.
And like Garbo said a while back, when you go abroad it's all, "Hi, I'm Kelli! You're from ________? That's so cool!" so on and so forth. And when you go back, it's more, "I met So-and-So and he/she was from Wherever and they said this funny thing and it's just so funny because they're from There!" and your friend just nods blankly, wanting to understand but just can't. The experiences you have when you study abroad are so uniquely yours that things get muddled when you try to explain.
It's gonna be a hard adjustment, I think (and those who have already studied abroad and been back for a while can vouch for that). Especially when you factor in the fact that you won't see people that were all you had for 6 months.
. . . and now that I've completely depressed myself, I think it might be time for a popsicle.
Girl you makeuh me sooo sad.
ReplyDeleteChina really was amazing. And not just saying that lightly. It really has become a part of us.
And I don't think our friends can understand that - mine certainly haven't - I can tell.
Even just a simple photo like that makes me die.
Doesn't have to be anything extravagant like sun yet sen mausoleum or whatever, just a photo of laodifang would make me bawl.
the memories last a lifetime.
ReplyDelete