What's in a year?

Well, maybe not quite a year. I actually ended up finishing my program at Cambridge within about 9 months. And I realise now (as I've noticeably adopted the British spellings of certain words) that 9 months is definitely enough time to really settle into a place. For all of the rationalising I've done in the past year, believing that I was a victim of year-long jetlag caught between worlds of Tokyo (where I really belonged) and Cambridge (where I was biding my time), why did I not just believe Cambridge to be a real home?

Perhaps the first I actually realised (and admitted) this to myself was in May while I was in Tokyo doing my research interviews, and I woke up one morning thinking that I missed my "routine"-- waking up early, drinking a cup of tea, writing or studying all day, running at dusk. I won't venture in the slightest to claim that it was an exciting routine, but I not only became used to it... I grew to like it. I don't doubt that it has something to do with the weather, too. Admittedly, English summer weather is extraordinary! Bright sun and no humidity, green everywhere, and the smell of really fresh air. I can't get enough of being outside these days (and have the tan lines to prove it!), and to be quite honest, the thought of the sticky hot summer of Tokyo isn't as appealing as spending some quiet days here.

Finally, maybe in this type of highly intensive academic environment, everyone is really busy pursuing their own goals, so it takes more time to settle into some good friendships. But at this point, I do think I've made some great friends here and some friendships are even just getting started, so it's even more disappointing to leave.

It's even funnier to think of the next step. What will I do when I'm not fretting over my dissertation or memorising relatively useless facts about Japanese diplomatic history? What will I be thinking when I'm breathlessly making my way through the crowds of Tokyo in the sticky summer? What will I miss most about Cambridge life?

At the end of every big change, which for me has seemed to occur once a year in my "roaring 20s", I always find myself thinking that I can't believe how much time really passes in one year. And inevitably, I say to myself, next year can never compare to the changes this year. Yet I'm always proven wrong, and the next year brings even more surprises.

EngRish GiRL is leaving EngRand... but guaranteed she will not be the same Jo-Lo in Tokyo as before...