One Week.

One week more in London.  My daily goodbyes are becoming a bit more frantic as I realize how few days are left.  

Saturday I took the train to meet Kate, a friend from a few years ago who lives outside of London.  Even though she’s only an hour away, we have only managed to get together one time in the three years I’ve been here!  She was visiting her family, who live in the northwest outskirts of London.  Kate met me at the train station and drove me to St. Alban’s, a little town north of London.  We had a great lunch at the Waffle House, a lovely little restaurant.  It is one of those old buildings with the low, exposed beams and a real fire crackling away.  

Sunday, I woke up and went to Heathrow to meet Krysta, a friend I met just before coming to London.  She was also preparing to move overseas, to Latin America.  She and I have kept in touch occasionally.  When I read that she was coming to the UK for two months, I sent her an email to see if we could meet.  Sunday I met her flight and she came to my house for Sunday night.  It was great to see her!  We went down to Edgeware Road in the evening for a fabulous meal at a favorite Lebanese restaurant.  

Today, I met up with my work colleagues for a goodbye lunch at a place of my choosing.  I’ve wanted to eat at the Slug and Lettuce pub for a while, so I chose that as our venue. With a name like that, who wouldn’t want to give it a go? :) The food was excellent, and every Monday their food is discounted 50%.  I had a final round of fish and chips with minted mushy peas.  

Afterwards, I returned home, where Krysta had been catching up on emails and the like.  We then made our way to Waterloo, where she caught her train for the rest of her journey.

Reality and finality is starting to settle.  After waving goodbyes to Krysta, I wandered back to the tube to return home.  I went via Tesco to meet Laura and we both did a little shopping.  Needless to say, I didn't need to get a lot of groceries.  Laura and I are both feeling fairly melancholic tonight.  After we made dinner, I told her she could use the rest of the onions and sweet potatoes I had leftover from earlier dinners.  She made a pouty face and said, "You won't be here to use the onions!  Aww..."  Even though we've known I would be returning to the USA, this still seems to be coming rather quickly.

I can remember moving to the USA at age 13.  It felt foreign, even though I had been there before.  I have been back and forth between the USA and the UK several times in my three years here.  While it has always been great to see family and friends, each time it felt a little less like "home."  London started to feel more familiar.  Oddly enough, when I would arrive at Heathrow and wrestle my bags onto the tube, I felt relaxed.  I had just "visited" the USA and now I had returned to the UK.  Now, somehow, that needs to start to change again.  The friends I tried so hard to make here will be the ones I have to say goodbye to and the friends I said goodbye to will be the ones I get to know again.  Eventually, I'll start to forget the routes I've become familiar with in London and I will have to relearn some roads in Pennsylvania.  Sometimes I want the adjustment to happen quickly and easily. At other times, I know that loosing that familiarity with London is part of the closing of a chapter.

Melancholy is the mood of the night.  I felt fine on Saturday, but the many goodbyes are catching up to me.   Not to worry, sleep always cures me!  On a brighter note, my cold/sore throat is starting to ease.  My belongings are skimmed down to what will fit into my carryon and suitcases!  

I generally don't think of myself as materialistic but packing has been a stretching experience.  Just today I took a few more things to a friend and dropped others off a charity shop.  I did a lot of sorting and donating when I moved to London, but I suppose even then, I could still store items.  My favorite aunt and uncle graciously let me fill up a corner of their attic!  This time, it either goes to charity or fits in a suitcase.  I probably should have done the same when I moved here! :)

I find I process my thoughts as I write, and while my mind would happily continue tonight, my fingers and eyes are tired.  Tomorrow is another day.