Home, Home on the Range

So on October 20th, less than 2 weeks away, I will be heading back to Kansas. For good. At least for now for good. If that makes any sense. I'm not as happy about this as I thought I would be a few months ago, but that has a lot to do with Paul, who's the most amazing man I could have ever met. Obviously, I'm not excited to be leaving him behind, but I'm sure a little separation won't kill us.

The good thing is I'll be home in time to celebrate my mom's birthday with her, I'll get to have Thanksgiving with my family, and I'll no longer be awoken every morning by the puppy alarm clocks. Although frankly, I'm really going to miss that.

I would post about all of the people I'm going to miss from here - I've made some really good friends - but that would take too long and I think they know that I'll miss them. Instead, I want to talk about all of the things I'm going to miss. The things that make Stirling different and unique from Kansas, and from the rest of the States.

1. The ocean is just a short drive away, in either direction. I'm really going to miss this one, since I grew up in a landlocked state and only first saw the ocean when I was 14. That's far too old to experience the beauty, and the North Sea especially is gorgeous and crystal blue.
2. The castle just up the hill. I honestly don't take advantage of that enough - or my own free admission since I live in its shadows. But whenever I take the puppies out for a walk, we always walk past, and there is no better view of Stirling save on top the Wallace Monument.
3. The Wallace Monument. I can see this from the train and I know I'm home. It's a constant reminder of my own family history (my great-grandmother was a Wallace), and it's gorgeous to boot. There are days when it's shrouded in the mist of the rain, and I wish that a camera could capture that beauty.
4. The brick work. This is a weird one, but I mean the really old brick walls, the ones with plants growing between the cracks, where life can spring from the weirdest of places.
5. Irn Bru. And the chocolate. And fresh chips from the chippy. And Indian food from a crummy looking takeaway. Even the McDonald's tends to be better here. Oh, and let's not forget the cheeses.
6. My physical location within the city is really good as well. Within ten minutes I'm at the shops, where all of Stirling seems to spend their days. I'm even going to miss the hill I have to hike up to get back to my house.
7. The National Library. As a researcher, it's close proximity to me (only an hour away) was much more useful that I could have ever imagined. And I just love the feel of it. A giant library with quiet rooms where no one talks, or runs around, or laughs over silly projects? Heaven.
8. Trains. I love the freedom of just hopping on the train, and not having to think about things. It's not like driving, where you're always concentrating on the roads. I think I'm probably most relaxed when I'm on the train, to be honest. Unless there's a rowdy group of teenagers, or an equally rowdy group of alcohol-soaked adults.
9. Oxfam books. Half of the novels I used for my dissertation came out of the charity shop's mystery shelves. It always seemed like they were stocking books just for me. I would have a specific novel in mind, and miraculously, Oxfam would have one on their shelves for me. At a price of £2. And the binding was already broken in for me. Magic.
10. The puppies. I complain because Mindy attacks me in the early mornings, and Poppy sometimes barks at nothing. But I'm going to miss these two scoundrels. I'm even going to miss not having to put the bin out of reach so Mindy won't dump it out and shred the contents. Of course, I'm mostly going to miss their silly fights, and their kisses, and their companionship. They're not really things, but they're not people either. Although they have very distinct personalities.