Today is my last day in England. This afternoon I packed in all of the things that everyone has to do in Cambridge but I never got around to doing: see the Botanic Garden (stunning!), view Cambridge from the top of Great St. Mary's Church (thus indulging my predilection for high places), have tea and a scone with jam and clotted cream (ok, I'd done that one before). Earlier in the week, still repenting for never having gone to either the Fogg or the MFA (except for the one time Lisa took me to the Guston exhibition), I went to the Fitzwilliam museum, which has a small but impressive collection in a large and even more impressive building. Now I have to try to cram all of my remaining stuff (I've spent £300 on shipping in the last two days) into three suitcases, after which I'll be cooking risotto with Lucy and trying to convince her to help me finish my remaining alcohol (of which there is much).

It hasn't been the greatest year ever, but England, Cambridge, and Emmanuel have been good to me, and I'll miss them. Over the last week I've been trying to think of specific things I'll miss and not miss, and here's what I've come up with. (These lists are subject to modification, so check back later!)

Things I'll miss about England (in no particular order):

• Trains.
  
• McVitie's digestive biscuits.
  
• The Emma bar.
  
• Tax included in the prices.
  
• Ubiquitous text messaging. (I'm going to try to bring this one back with me.)
  
• The Emma ducks (and oh-so-cute ducklings!).
  
• 10.30 pm sunset in summer.
  
• Scones with jam and clotted cream.
  
• Laundry service.
  
• Pre-dinner champagne and post-dinner port.
  
• No open-bottle laws.
  
• Stansted Airport.
  
• The accents (especially the Scottish ones).
  
• Drinking because it happens to be a Tuesday.
  
• Indian food everywhere.
  
• Being able to ring anyone at 2 am without worrying about waking them up.
  
• Scottish nationalism.
  
• Classical music on WHRB from 6 pm to 3 am.
  
• Not bringing the bill until you ask for it.
  
• Good cheddars.
  
• No stress.
  

Things I won't miss about England:

• British plumbing.
  
• Rain.
  
• Pubs closing at 11 pm.
  
• Tiny fridges and no freezer.
  
• 17.5% VAT.
  
• 3.30 pm sunset in winter.
  
• Slooooow internet connection (not entirely English in nature, but frustrating nonetheless).
  
• Bad Chinese food.
  
• Pennying.
  
• Buses wider than the streets.
  
• Everything closing at 5 pm.
  
• Did I mention the plumbing?