London: Pros and Cons

I was Skyping last night with Ingrid (that's us at New Years on the left), and she asked me if I miss anything about home. And so it’s time for the inevitable blog post: things I miss (and don't miss) about America.

-free access to the university gym. Sorry, Health, but I’m not paying 30 quid a month to work out when I could spend it on food. Therefore, I also miss
- muscle tone. See you in June, abs.
-Clean air. My brief foray into extreme outdoor sports in Wales was a blessed break, but still. My lungs curse the day I chose to study in London.
-classes in which grades do not depend solely on a single paper.
-a texting and calling plan where things are just taken care of, instead of the monthly top-up ordeal that one-semester-only students like me use here.
-Jon Stewart. Because I've always been DTF him.

But there are things I certainly do not miss about home, too. That list includes:
-Hershey’s chocolate. Even if Cadbury was purchased by Kraft, the recipe has remained the same. Give me a bag of mini Cadbury buttons, and I will be satisfied for days.
-Boredom. My mom would reprimand me for even using this word (“People who are bored when their time is their own are either lazy or unimaginative!”), but Ohio doesn’t offer too many opportunities for entertainment. It’s forced me and fellow Ohioans to make our own fun, which is a skill I’m thankful to have honed, but London makes life easy. There is always something going on. Always.
-At least 40 minutes in the car to get to something of note. Here, just hop on the Tube, and I’m to my museum/concert venue/restaurant/pub in less than 20 minutes.

On that note, I’m off to class… (Note: It’s been sunny here THREE DAYS IN A ROW.)