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On to the Next

Five days ago, we were in Lisbon, Portugal.  We woke up early – Savannah and I – wanting to catch one last view of the city before heading to the airport.  We climbed up to Castelo São Jorge, a former Moorish castle and active archeological site, to breathe in Europe one last time.  From our vantage point on the castle hill, we could see the Atlantic Ocean in the distance – the end of Europe.  The West.  Later that evening, we were back in North America.  It was my first time back in five months, and it feels good to be in the States, but I sure do miss Europe.  I miss my friends at Sussex, going to the soccer games and the pubs, conducting research at the archives – but the memories will stay with me forever.  It’s been several weeks since my last post, and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to do some travelling with my family and Savannah. My family visited London and Rome together, and Savannah and I spent time in Paris, Edinburgh, and Lisbon before flying back to Arkansa
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May

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“Among the changing months, May stands confest The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                  --James Thomson It’s certainly been a May to remember.   I’ve spent it in Brighton, studying for exams and doing some last-minute research at the archives.   As of today, though, I’m official finished with all my schoolwork!   It feels good to be done.   Then again, I’m going to miss my classes, professors, and all the incredible people I’ve met here. Just a few hours ago, I went to the study abroad office on campus to pick up a going away present – a T-shirt and a drawstring bag.   It was bittersweet.   My time as a student here is at an end, and I find myself slipping back into traveler mode.   The final few weeks of study abroad are the hardest.   I look at things
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York

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Long before it grew into the largest urban area in North America, New York City was a Dutch colony called "New Netherland."  After defeating the Dutch in 1664, however, the English renamed the city "New York" to honor the Duke of York.  BUT, (you might ask), WHY did the Duke of York need honoring??  And what about the original York -- why was that place so important?!  And why do a bunch of people in the United Kingdom wear New York Yankees hats?!? All of these questions were part of my decision to go on a solo adventure to York this past weekend (well, all except that last one -- that's a question for another blog post).  Aaaaaannnyyways, my story begins at 6 a.m. last Saturday morning......... It was cold outside, and I was tired.  I hadn't slept very much on the overnight bus ride from London.  It was time for some coffee! After drinking a large cappuccino, I hit the road, er, the wall.  York is surrounded by a series of stone walls and gates -- mo
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April Showers, Sussex Flowers

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A wise man once wrote a poem about modern society, beginning his monumental work with the following words: April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. That man was T.S. Eliot, and that poem, “The Waste Land” (1922).   Although I’m positing this snippet of the now classic poem out of context, the words really ring true for me at this point in my study abroad journey.   Spring is, implicitly, a time of awakening and rebirth; however, as Eliot so provocatively suggests, it might also be thought of as a time for reflection.   It’s hard for me to believe, but I have spent close to three months in the United Kingdom at this point AND – just a few weeks ago – I eclipsed the half-way point in my study abroad experience.   I am still discovering so much here each and every day, and what I’ve realized is that many of the best discoveries have come right here in Sussex, right here in Bright
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