First of all, I just need to say that I was very close to leaving this blog dormant for eternity, closure or no closure. However, after my friend Joey added closure to HIS blog, well, you all know me as the competitive sort.

"Panic in the Streets of London." When I wrote that title, I was in a very unique place. On one hand, I was sitting there like most of my fellows did, wondering what it would be like to live in London, so far away from home. On the other hand, I had already had the incredible opportunity of spending nearly a week and a half in London only months before. I had already passed step 1 (that's "tourism") and was ready to take the leap into step 2, "inhabitation." Even then, I realized the difference between "tourist" and "Londoner," though perhaps not specifically. I recognized that there was a difference, but not necessarily what that difference would be. That would come later, toward the end of my stint in London.

But, why "Panic"? Was I nervous? I was going from Orange County suburbia straight to city living. It would be understandable, a sort of panic, but at the same time, I felt a confidence regarding living in London. I had been there before, I had done the culture shock thing. I was ready. So what panic would I have in London? Perhaps, in a way, the panic I felt was not necessarily that of a chicken in the style of Marie Antoinette, but of someone excited to run around the streets of London in a panic-like fashion. Well, if that was the case, then mission: accomplished.

These days, I am back in California, smiling in the sun when we have it, still going around jacketless when we dont. I spend a lot of time doing nothing. I'm not depressed, I promise; I dont feel nearly that dramatic. I just dont have an opinion. I have no urge to do anything, only to let my roots sink deep down into the couch while I watch movies on HBO. I've been social, slightly, but it's hard when some of the people you really want to see are time-zones away. Will I remain in the mode of London's famous surrogate, OC, or will I return to the shell of a shy piece of human toast named Elise? I suppose that remains to be seen. I feel the essence of OC slipping away, as if I need to spritz myself with a fresh dose of her, but perhaps she is merely entering a period of rest, a period of hibernation. When I head back to Chapman this fall, we'll see if I can't conjure her up for some good times.

Anyway, that is in the future. In fact, that's about as far into the future as my London life is in the past. And who knows? Perhaps this time next year, I'll be starting the next chapter in my life, living in a flat and working a job in the UK. But for now, my job is to get back into the ways of America and graduating. Dear readers, thank you for joining me on my journeys. Many of you have seen photos and heard stories by now, but if you are curious about the many places that I didnt mention in this blog's dark months, please visit my Facebook and dont hesitate to ask!

Thank you, and cheers!

xx

Elise