Head confused, body out of whack, my very perception of time and space temporarily altered as I try to decide between eating a bowl of the dearly missed bran flakes or the nostalgia of muesli.

Pop Tarts, Peanut Butter Crunch, pretzels.

The humidity makes my hair voluminous and my scalp crawl. And somehow it rains more in Mississippi than in Devon.

The three happies:

(1) After five months, being insulted by my sister to my face, exchanging gifts and jokes, and hiding corn cobs in the dishwasher. We are our own sorority.

(2) After five months, the biddies and I gradually remember each other and become a family once again. They've grown up into beautiful cats since I left and somehow adulthood did not corrupt their cute biddiness.

(3) After five months, being pushed against the wall and kissed by this really hott boy, who turns out to be a prepackaged boyfriend I left behind before my journey.

I'm just waiting for the shock to hit me. The realization that I'm not in Exeter, where I was existing quite nicely. I can't believe I did it. I accomplished all my academic and personal goals in a distant country. Brilliant.

I'm working on seeing everyone in due time. Let me rest a bit. It's 10 pm to you but 4 am to me.