We've come a long long way together...

Hello readers, I realize it's been over a year since I last posted on this site. Life has taken over in between...I've been busy writing a dissertation, adjusting to life in the UK, finishing a Masters, and most recently, moving to London.

That's right, I've left the beautiful, cozy little bubble that is Wales, to sketch out a future for myself among the bright lights of the big city. Or something like that. Some cool things about this move include:
-my new flat, located in Crystal Palace: cool location, gorgeous park across the street, and yummy Thai food just around the corner
-the prospect of a few new jobs, including some teaching that I'm finding very interesting, if challenging
-the opportunity to meet new people and make new friends! I've already found myself opening up, becoming less inhibited in social situations. Something about the city does that to you. The vastness of the city is like this blanket of anonymity that you can wrap yourself in at any moment--and the knowledge that you can easily disappear at any moment gives you the liberty to be as open as you want to be.

You know what's strange, though? Moving to London has made me miss my real home, my Kentucky home, a bit more sharply. Over the past couple of years I've come to realize that Wales and Kentucky have a lot in common. I think I took those similarities for granted, and now that I've moved to the big smokes, well...there are moments when I want to drive along the road running from Cave City to Glasgow, or sit with my Mom and Dad in the study, finishing crossword puzzles late into the night, or walk along the Green River like I did that wonderful summer working at the cave. I miss seeing the trees change in the fall, and I miss the landscapes along the interstate and the country roads.

I also miss the people. I never thought I'd say this, but there is a poignancy in the old men eating ice cream at the McDonald's in Super Wal-Mart, and in the gospel music that blares in Hyder's shoe store.

I think the older I get, the more I associate Kentucky with innocence. I know logically, realistically, socioeconomically, that it's ludicrous, but Kentucky and its people have a sincerity, a heart-on-the-sleeve nature that reaches inside and shakes you up a bit. Maybe in a way I'm referring to my own innocence--but that is another topic for another blog entry.

Sorry to unload like this. I had no idea that the sparkly city could bring out the southern girl in me. Wow, who needs a cup of tea?