The whole point of coming to the UK to do an MA was to learn, right? To learn about history, to learn about another culture (YES, the English ARE another culture. Trust me.), to learn about myself.

I go offline tomorrow, and internet access will be sketchy until about Oct 20 as I wander around the UK, tracing the footsteps of my vaunted ancestors...blahblahblah... (honestly, my ancestors included silk weavers, silver maids, herring cannery workers, and 'agricultural labourers'. Not so vaunted, really). You can definitely expect a full report from me when I get home, if not some tidbits in between, and the fact that the year is over definitely doesn't mean that I'll stop blogging, although I have a feeling my life will get even MORE boring once I get home. I'll have to sign up for harp lessons or something equally entertaining to keep me amused. Maybe I'll take piano and voice again - it's been a while. The future holds many possibilities, mostly wrapped around how much money I'll be earning when I get back. The job market in Alberta at the mo is disgustingly in favour of the seeker of low-order service jobs - with Superstore paying $9.40 an hour to start, they're so desperate for staff, so I'll find something without too much difficulty. I was, however, hoping for something a little more illustrious than grocery store cashier.

So now that I've handed in my MA dissertation, and my bags (and boxes) are packed and waiting to be picked up tomorrow, I've got a bit of time to reflect on what the last year has taught me.

• My first entry after I arrived speaks about how bare my room is and how I'll need to accumulate stuff to make it look more like home. I now know that I accumulate way too much stuff in a year and need to figure out how not to be so pack-rat-y.
• I don't deal well with boredom. I think I knew that already, but this year has definitely confirmed that I need my life to be overscheduled and I need to be run off my feet to be comfortable and happy.
• I'm definitely not entirely over the depression I thought I'd battled. The tone of most of my personal postings here over the year has been tinged with definite shades of grey, made more intense by periods of homesickness, bad weather, loneliness, etc. I may need to try counselling again when I get home.
• I've learned that NOT having a definite plan for the future isn't the end of the world. I think I'd LIKE to have a plan, but NOT having one isn't the end of the world, and that's what matters.
  
• I've learned that the pressures of Academic History aren't for me. Not now. Maybe not ever. But I need some time out. I've been a student for 20 years now without a break and it's time to quit for a bit.
• Tiny differences add up when you're away from home. I would kill to see a Terry's Chocolate Orange that says "Whack and Unwrap" rather than "Tap and Unwrap" at this point. Honestly. And I would love to see a good old north americal electric socket. I want to use the $ sign rather than the £ again. I want to see a kid sledding on my 5 note. I want 25 cent coins.
• I don't make friends easily. I still don't have anyone on this side of the ocean that I'd consider a very close friend. There's the odd person who's just so damn nice that I think I could make an exception, such as A, the assistant librarian at the Minster, but I've only known her since the end of June, and unfortunately the out-of-work friendship has only really developed over the last month. I have a secret hope that her computer science PhD husband will come work at the U of A. I doubt it'll happen, though. But hopefully we'll keep in touch. Other than that, though, there's not really anyone on this side of the ocean that I 'connected' with on a really good, 'we have stuff in common that doesn't involve history' level.
• Some prejudices just don't go away. In Canada, I'm "in". Here, I'm a foreigner. And a North American foreigner at that. Not even a respectable European. I haven't gotten the vibe from a lot of people, but it's happened just enough that I can tell the Old World vs. New World prejudices aren't entirely gone from the world. Neither are class prejudices. Around here, your accent can make or break you if it comes down to that. And that makes me sad.
• I have learned to take initiative. Because I've been on my own so much here, I've had to do things myself and keep myself amused. The one thing that I regret NOT doing was heading to Pickering at some point after I heard about it to see the church there. That was laziness, though, as I couldn't be bothered getting up early in the day to catch the bus there and make a day of it, and I only heard about the church two weeks ago. Otherwise, I've done more things on my own than I ever would have thought possible. It _IS_ all right to do things by yourself.
• Not getting a particular job is not the end of the world. I would still like to get a good job, but as mentioned above, I'll have too many problems finding something to tide me over until I earn the £9500 required for the book conservation course I want to take.
• I care more about football than I ever thought I would.
• Things never turn out the way you expect.
• Crying and wallowing in emotions can actually help in the long run
• Happiness is at least partly an illusion, and ignorance is, in fact, bliss
• American Senior Citizen Tourists will always be the most inconvenient people possible, especially when in enclosed spaces or when told unequivocally to "stick together".
• Intra-linguistic differences can be funny. If not embarrassing.
• I need space. A one-bedroom apartment all to myself is about right. One bedroom in a crowded college hall of residence is not enough.
• Goodbyes aren't any easier than they were a year ago.