Dear Beth,
2016 has been an odd one. It started just like any other. The first couple of months were pretty uneventful but you got yourself through. It was head down and work hard.
You began the year with only one cat and by April you had persuaded mum to adopt another. Now you couldn't imagine home without him there.
Countless trips to London and Ozzy's broke up the routine of those first 5 months and excitement grew as your leaving date got closer.
You had to get everything prepared before you went away, money, bags, clothes, visa. You had to leave very descriptive instructions for mum to be able to pick your uni accommodation in case the internet in America was bad, which it was.
Then it was time to leave the job you'd worked at for 2 years and check everything was set for you to go away for 3 months.
You took 2 bags that contained your entire life for that time and said goodbye to your parents on the train station platform, they cried and you did too.
But this was only the start of an adventure that was bigger than you ever could've imagined. You stayed at Ozzy's again and they took you to the airport. They said goodbye and wished you luck and left you with a group of people you barely knew. But I'll tell you now, they turned out to be the best people, who would make your summer incredible.
A 7 hour flight and a 5 hour time difference and you were greeted by your new American family, although it didn't seem that way to begin with. You were nervous and out of your comfort zone. But you sat for a few long hours talking to a girl with brightly coloured hair who was actually interested in what you were telling her and even though you'd just met her, she made you laugh so hard you cried. That would become a regular occurrence.
The next 2 weeks you become friends with some incredible people from all over the world and ate lots and lots of American food.
Camp was one of the best experiences of your life and although it was tough, the summer flies by before you know it. The weeks are so fun and rewarding but you live for the weekends because you get to spend time with people you don't really see in the week and you go to places you've only ever had on your bucket list. An Orioles Baseball Game, 5th July Carnival, Baltimore's Inner Harbour, Hershey Park, Washington DC. You can't stop thinking about how lucky you are to be in such an amazing place with amazing people. And although camp ends your summer does not.
You cry because you have to leave a place that has made you feel so at home, that has changed you as a person and that has brought these people into your life. You cry some more when you actually have to say goodbye to those people. People who have supported you when camp life got hard, which it really did, people who you may potentially never see again. People who made you laugh until you couldn't breathe and your sides hurt. People who sang and danced with you, who did weird and wonderful things just to make kids laugh. They're the best kind of people, people you only find at camp.
But you don't leave them all behind, because now comes the reward for your hard work all summer, now is time for the travel. You go to stay with a girl who has been by your side all summer, she's been a lifesaver and a damn miracle worker for putting up with you the whole time. But in truth you worked as the best team and know that the summer wouldn't have been the same without her. There's four of you and you explore Harper's Ferry and her local area of West Virginia, her parents are lovely and make the best food! You decide to dye your hair purple and get your first tattoo! This is only the start of your crazy adventures that follow. The four of you make you way to New York City and it is better than you could ever imagined. You're only there for a short time but you never want to leave. A whirlwind tour of the big sights and it's time to part ways and head to JFK.
You spend the next 12 days in a daydream, your with a girl who is like your twin, in a group of incredible aussies touring the West Coast. San Fran, Bass Lake, Yosemite, Las Vegas, Route 66, Grand Canyon, Sedona Desert, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles. You will never forget this trip, it was truly once in a lifetime.
When this came to an end you did something that at the start of the summer you would never have been able to do. You left everyone of that summer behind, cried again, and boarded one of two planes to cross the country alone. It came with a lot of panicking and time wasting in airports but you did it and that's something to be proud of. After a very long time and very little sleep, you were right back where you started, Baltimore.
You squeezed this trip out as long as you could. You stayed with the outgoing girl who was always wearing a hat and never failed to make you laugh, in her uni dorm, which was another thing to tick of the bucket list. Just like everything in America, the schools are huge. You slept for a very long time. Jetlag's a bitch. You met her friends who were so lovely and welcoming. They made you dinner and talked about you being British for a bit, like they do over there. Then you both boarded another bus that would take you right back to New York City. This is a trip to laugh about, it didn't quite go to plan but worked out anyway. It taught you some things about big cities and how you can look after yourself better than you thought. You got some massive blisters from walking around the city all day in some crappy shoes. You got rainbow bagels in Brooklyn and walked the Brooklyn Bridge, you saw parts of the city that you didn't get to last time. You fell in love with it even more.
When it came to leaving, it really felt like goodbye this time. You didn't cry, but you felt so deeply sad to be leaving behind such a significant trip. One last flight and you were in England again, where they talked like you did and questioned why you had blue hair.
You're bankrupt and nostalgic when you return to work for 2 weeks, earning as much money as you can before you move 8 hours to the opposite side of the country for uni.
The bags are packed again, the room looks half bare and the car is full to the brim. You feel oddly optimistic yet nervous about this next step. Little did you know it would be incredible. You stop in at Ozzy's again on the way and begin to wonder if he just thinks your using him as a half way house or whether he's considering charging you per night. It's lovely to see them so much in one year.
You move in and buy new furniture for your room, you unpack and food shop. Then it comes the time for mum to leave and it's like your back on that train station platform all over again. But neither of you cry this time. There's no time difference or ocean between you. It's just a new start.
The next three months go by so fast you can't believe. You find some incredible friends in your flatmates and on your course. You settle in like it's somewhere you feel you've always meant to be. You read a lot and discover texts you never would've otherwise, which only builds your inquisitive literary mind. Formatives, a presentation and 3 summatives down and the first term is over. You cooked more often that you thought you would. You managed to produce a roast dinner for 8 in 1 microwave and you made yorkshire puddings from scratch. Being independent feels great and having your own space is even better. Living on a student loan is not the best however.
So that brings us to now. You've made it to day 22 of Blogmas and not missed one post yet. Your home and have only just bought the majority of your christmas presents. Gizmo is at the end of the bed and you've missed having the animals around as company.
Looking back through this year makes you realise how lucky you've been. This has been one for a lot of change in you. You've learned to let go. To fight when it's necessary. To work hard when you want something. To open yourself to others. To live life everyday and to grab every opportunity when it's presented to you. You've learnt not to be afraid of being told no, or taking a risk. That it's ok to be yourself and to like yourself. There are people out there unlike anyone you've ever met and even some just like you.
It's been a good'un. Let's see what 2017 brings us.
Love, Beth xo
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