Remember me?

Hey, all! Sorry for the really long delay. I feel as if my life is much less interesting now that I'm not an international student. Being back in America certainly has its pluses and minuses. Just for fun, I will list some.

Pros
-certain people; both those on the ground and more easily accessible by phone
-materialistic pleasures: being reunited with my stuff, getting new stuff (I have furniture!)
-being able to understand most accents
-soy products are cheaper
-there is more space

Cons
-no heated towelracks. :(
-lack of daily sense of adventure (despite my efforts to tell myself that life is always an adventure, it goes down better when every day presents its own special quasi-traveling challenge)
-not being a two-hour train ride from London
-certain people -- with whom it's harder to keep in touch because of the sense that, practically speaking, I'm probably not going to live in the same area with them again.
-I don't get to make jokes that are predicated on my being an international student -- like making fun of other people for also being foreign.

Pros (again, because there weren't that many of them)
-not having to defend America every few minutes

Cons
-feeling a little less excited about America now that I'm actually living here again. Although the recent elections helped.

Pros
-knowing I'm going to be in the same place for the next few years

Cons
-ditto.

So... it about evens out. And I like IU and the people and the town and the program and stuff. I think this is going to be good. With any luck.