Craig's Experience in Wales A personal documentation of my journey as an exchange student in Great Britain

“Yes,” I tell my friends, “I will be back to Swansea. One day.” This journey, full of boundless blessing and memory, is now near its completion. I have likened this stage of my experience to the last .1 of a 3.1 mile cross country race… I’m about to finish strong, leaving nothing behind. On Friday afternoon I will leave Swansea for Kettering, England with my good friend Jamie Hurd. And so will begin my excursions to England, Scotland, Czech Republic and Poland. As of this typing it is 1:30 a.m. here on Thursday…err… morning… or would this be Wednesday night? How about for the sake of spending more time in Swansea it is Wednesday night and all is quiet in my seven person flat. I’ll miss this flat. No, I most certainly will not miss the smell of damp towel that so frequently has permeated my nostrils as I walk in the room after not having done laundry for weeks at a time. What will I miss? Just to name a few: I’ll miss my flat mates, the predictability of having tuna, pasta, cottage cheese, or chicken at least once during the day, and the ability to sleep in nearly every morning just because of my mind set that “this is vacation”. But overall—everything in consideration—I will fore mostly miss the people that have touched my life. It’s amazing how you can see some of the most beautiful sights in the world and still find the most significant memories to involve people. You see, when I look back on this trip (yes… trip, not “study abroad”) my mind will wander back to the times spent at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church, playing football with the CU team, getting drinks at JC’s, laughing with my British lads and lasses about the various language differences, and teaching the guys how to throw an American football. A very comforting thought entered my mind just the other day as I was saying bye to various people. “You know, Craig, this will not be the last time you see these people.” Immediately I felt at peace as I knew that God was telling me that one day there WILL be a reunion. Whether or not I will see my friends again on this Earth I do not know. But what I do know—what I know is GUARANTEED—is that I will see them again in heaven. And this time it won’t be for 5 months…it will be for eternity. I was certainly glad that thought had come to mind, considering I’m leaving so soon and finding it tough to say “goodbye”. But yes I am ready to come home. The truth is that I miss my family and friends, my house, driving, Chipotle, the Fraze Pavilion, and mowing the lawn. During my 5 months I never experienced “homesickness”, but rather had many a moment where I missed being in the company of my family and friends. As incredibly cliché as it is, it is so true: home is where the heart is. I must close up this entry right now because a wave of tiredness just hit me quite unexpectedly. Seeing as I leave on Friday, I am going to do my absolute best to type up another entry before I head off. God Bless, everyone. Can’t wait to see you all again, whether its in Dayton or Athens. Peace! Philippians 1:3, Craig