Born and raised during my early years in England, I have always considered it one of my (many) homes. I don't really identify as British anymore, given my lack of cultural identity from so many years away, but it will always play a huge part of my life and background as it was the first place that I belonged to.
The last time I was back on British soil was for a very quick layover in 2017 on my way to Cyprus, but really, the last time England was the destination was a whopping eight years ago in 2014 when I spent four months living with my aunt, uncle and cousin there, working a summer job and traveling around the country exploring as much as I could.
I had the opportunity to spend a week based just outside of London for a work trip this March, so extended the trip by a few days, arriving early to visit that same aunt, uncle and cousin who by now have moved to Cambridge, one of the most quintessentially British university towns.
We celebrated being reunited with yummy dinners in town (can highly recommend Bill's, Franco Manca for the best pizza ever, and Ely Turkish), wandering all over the city feeling the idyllicism of the place seeping in and, best of all, went on a sunny afternoon punting trip down the river from where you can get the best views of the various colleges of the university town.
