One last weekend in Wales

Last Friday was weighted with farewells- to people, places, lingo, and lifestyle.

After work (during which the folks in Plaid bid me farewell with cake and speeches), my roommate Kadi and I headed to Eli Jenkins, our favorite cheap pub. Many of my Plaid friends joined us, as did Phil and Andre, two Uni students I met at Plaid's election party. After a few pints, my workmates said goodbye and we Uni students went to Ba Orient, our favorite expensive bar. Our two favorite bartenders, Eve and John, made us the best drinks of our lives. We finished the night up at Salt, the first club we went to when we got to Cardiff, with another Phil, the male intern from Oklahoma.
The next morning, I woke with a splitting headache and rather timidly dressed in hiking gear. My boss, Helen, picked me up and we drove to the Brecon Beacons. Her dog, Jazz, padded along with us, interested in every stream and muddy hill, every sheep and bird. The scenery was dramatic, more like what you'd expect to see in Scotland. A ruined castle clung to the top of a hill, and red, green, and milky trees lined the fields below.
By the end of the day, I was more sure than ever that I couldn't leave Wales. Tears splashed into my suitcases along with my Primark clothes and penguin bars, my new poetry books and pamphlets written in Welsh.

On Tuesday, my travels were a hectic blur. I arrived at Heathrow by 5:50 a.m., but nearly missed my 8:50 flight because of how packed the airport was. I sat next to a poet/playwright from Brussels who was going to Cincinnati to visit friends and a couple from Brazil who'd been living in London and were on their way to Canada. I filled my 4 and a half hour layover in Detroit with A&W hot dogs and Guinness and Blue Moon drinks. My little flight to Columbus was delayed on the runway for multiple de-icings. Once at the airport, my parents greeted me with open arms; as I gathered my luggage from the carousel, I unloaded my yearning for Cardiff. I looked back a few times, and I knew that yearning soon would find me. For now, though, I simply must live in the present: loving my family and enjoying every second of our reunion.