What are you going to do when you get home?
Ah! This is the question I've been asked a lot lately. (Upon arriving to the UK, my most asked questions were have you been to the UK before and do you like it here?)

So to be preemptive, I'm going to let you all know right now that I really don't know. I have a few things in mind though. This includes working in a church in some capacity, whether that be a bit of clerical work here, a bit of youth work there etc. I don't know because I don't know of an exact job position that exists which offers what I'm looking for but I will be looking don't you worry (Mom and Dad). Also, I have always liked non-profits and have always seen myself working for one. I also have considered going back to school to attend seminary or a bible college. Right now I am mostly interested in studying religion and specifically the Bible so whatever that comes in the shape of, Like I said, I really don't know but these are a few ideas. I am really kind of open to anything right now as long as it involves helping people and God is at the forefront.

If there is one thing I have taken away from this year, it is that whatever I do next in my life God HAS to be at the center of it. I have really re-found my faith this year and have realized that the way I have been living the past few years has been a life where I tossed my faith to the wayside and it sucked. I hated living like that. I have made a promise to myself and to God this year that I will not let that happen again. So if you read this and think hey, I know a job that sounds kind of like what she's looking for or or hey, there are some places around me that might be hiring right around the time she gets back.....ya know....I'm here for you and appreciate you all very much :D lol.

So anyway, I did want to highlight that little bit about future possibilities, but that is not completely the reason I am writing this blog. As it occurs to me that I have started thinking about home and all the things I am looking forward to, but also going to miss here, maybe these are things I should be sharing with you all because they might be interesting to read. It might provide a different perspective and interesting insight on what exactly a person who has lived in another country for a year might miss about that country and be looking forward to on her journey back to the good ol' Merica. So below is a list of a few things I am looking forward to when I get home, and a few things I will miss about being here in the UK. Enjoy.

Things I Will Miss

• Curry. I absolutely love curry now! It's as popular as Chinese food over here.
• Really good chocolate! Also the fact that bread here only lasts about a week before it gets moldy...this took some adjusting to since bread in the States usually lasts about a week and a half if not longer before it molds....its a bit concerning. 
• I will miss being able to walk anywhere in London at any given time and feel safe. I will miss walking past a group of men and not feeling afraid that they are going to harass me with sexual comments or follow me down the street. This is one of the first things I noticed when I came to London...and wish it was like this everywhere. London is a beautiful and safe city, one of the best in my opinion. 
• I will miss how patient people are. People here don't honk their horns, yell at each other, or get impatient that much, or so it seems. Just today I was bustling through the busy underground during rush hour...we turned a corner to greet a wall of people moving very slowly to get onto a platform and the guy next to me said something really loud, and I expected it to be an angry remark but he just laughed and said we might have to fight our way through.
• I will miss traveling on the top deck of the red doubledecker buses of London. Sometimes I would take the slightly longer bus ride home from London instead of the underground just to sit in the front seat on the top deck and watch the London scenery go by. 
• I will miss people from my host church like my friend Sarah who is the mother of twins, a boy and a girl, who I've seen grow this year from being bottle fed to walking and mumbling their first words. The people at my host church have been truly remarkable and have each left their mark on me and my faith journey. 
• I will miss teaching the children in our programs about Jesus. It has been great to see how much they have learned and understood God's love for them even when some of them are hearing it for the first time. It was really great for me as well to refresh on the Bible stories I learned as a kid and explain them to the children. It was such a great reminder of how God is so good.
• I will miss insight and support from my supervisor who I felt really understood me this year and took the time to ask questions no one has asked me before. I will miss how he always seemed to know the right questions to ask and helped me see the amazing person God made me to be.
• I will miss having a laugh and exploring with my host family the differences between our two cultures. Though sometimes very similar, at other times very different...lol. 

Things I am Looking Forward

• Sunshine! Endless days of sunshine...well not necessarily all the time but still. 
• Burgers, beer, country music (yes shocking I know, I even shock myself). Just loud and crazy Americans who love to belt songs at the top of their lungs, listen to rock music, be rowdy, and have a good time with friends.
• Driving. I am definitely looking forward to having my own car again, driving wherever I want whenever I want and having some me time listening to music or the radio.
• Radio. Not that they don't have it here. but because I only travel on public transportation that does not have radio I really don't listen to it.
• Calling pants. pants instead of trousers. Or french fries. fries without being corrected lol. The same with chips, cookies, and saying groceries instead of shopping. Also not having to say the word toilet anymore when asking for the bathroom. I think bathroom is much more polite lol.
• PROPER BREWED COFFEE!!! Don't worry, I've managed to not be a huge grump bucket my entire year, but coffee just isn't drank the same way here as it is at home. I guess the same goes for us and tea according to the Brits.  I even resorted to instant coffee and instant decaf coffee this year...when times were desperate. But I guess after this year you can call me a true coffee addict as I've managed to live a year in the land of tea and still drink mostly coffee. 
• Having everything I want in one store. As Americans, we really take for granted the fact that we can go to one store like Walmart, Target, or Kroger and get multiple types of products. For example we can buy food for tomorrows dinner, medicine for that headache, movies or other technology we like, and school supplies for our kids school project all at the same place. That doesn't happen in the UK. 
• Time with friends and family. If there is one huge thing I have learned to appreciate this year it has been how much I love my friends and family and how much they love and take care of me. I am definitely looking forward to just hanging out with my friends again and relearning their  habits, personalities, and mannerisms. This may sound weird but when my family members came to visit, it was almost like I had to re-get to know them in a way. There were things about my family that I had forgotten about like how sarcastic my Dad is and how much he makes me laugh. How independent, crazy, and deeply connected to the world my sister is, and how much my Mom really takes care of me and looks out for me. It was a really beautiful thing being able to see these characteristics fresh again with my immediate family and I look forward to doing the same with more family and friends when I return. 
• I look forward to what God has in store for me next. I have really learned to love my religious roots as a Lutheran and look forward to Lutheran liturgy again. I also look forward to becoming more involved in the church in whatever church I find myself. God has changed me this year and I look forward to seeing how that blossoms.