"You don't have to have a conclusion, Bec. Conclusions are the hard part."
And that hit me as the best and only way I could ever end this London Blog. Is it even over? I think about London on a constant basis, whether it's a memory from last summer, a daydream about future plans, a current event or news report, a historical remembrance, it doesn't really matter; I think about it a ton.
Because as corny as it sounds, London is a part of who I am now. What I did there has helped me grow so much as well as figure out some stuff about myself. I developed friendships that have grown into relationships so dear to me that it's hard to imagine my life without them. I am constantly reading everything I can about schools in London, theater in London, books taking place in England, and taking classes about it.
So I never ended this blog. This adventure. I just could never find a way to truly sum up everything, like "Here's what I'm going to take away from this summer." and then bam, new chapter: Back to Duke. I never could, I wanted to keep it all. I wanted to relive it in my mind whenever I could, and this blog has more than helped me do that along the way, from jotting down memories, to thinking out loud to friends and family who supported and loved me while I was there.
Thus, I have decided that I won't finish this blog. Although this is a pretty conclusive post, I have nothing to say except it was one of the best life decisions I have ever made and I wouldn't be who I am today had I not gone.
Now we're close to the date of the next group of Duke in Londoners heading off to my favorite city, and it's weird thinking about how it was literally a year ago that 13 others and myself made our way across the Atlantic. I hope the next group becomes as inspired, as connected, as close, as supportive, as open with each other as we were. We were all so different from one another, that it really brought us all together. It was a powerful summer, and I hope they can feel that, too.
But, it is my one small effort to not summarize the summer, or take away specific things that i learned while there... I just want it to keep going.
My life consists of segments of incredible experiences. I suppose most people's lives do as well, but I guess it's the organizational side of me that compartmentalizes everything in my life. So i generally create segments of time, depending on where I was, what I was doing, and who was heavily present in my life (cough). I think as I get older, a lot of that will sort of melt into "childhood" or some generic term that I'll look back on and wish I could relive every moment of, just like I'm sitting here now wondering where I'm going, who will be there with me, and what my kids will look like.
What I do know is that I love it all. I have been blessed so much in life in so many different ways, it's hard to explain how grateful I am, or in awe, I suppose.
SO! London will keep going. in me. forever. at least that's my goal. and different segments of time will do the same thing, have an impact on me and then continue on with me as I go.
One such segment is, of course, this fall. This fall will be interesting because I'll be in Florence, Italy. I don't know any Italian at this point and just started a dating relationship (stated by the girl who has always demanded, "I don't believe in long distance relationships."). But then again, this is also the girl who does everything passionately and with her all... and who am I to stop her?
Blog will be up and running soon, and hopefully it'll be called Bec in Florence, a similar, and yet extremely catchy ;-) "sequel" title. and I guess I have the same goals for that one as my Duke in London one. Get down as much as I can: be it what I'm learning, a memory, or a thought I've never had before.
And of course, never let that conclude eith
