"Keep the homes fires burning
While your hearts are yearning
Though your lads are far away
They dream of home"
I love these lyrics. I can see myself singing them whilst I'm away on my travels. Because as much as I will love travelling the world, I think I am really going to miss home. This song is an old British war song from World War 1 and 2. So my situation could not be more different to the purpose of this song if I tried. I'm not going to be knee deep in shit and blood in a rat infested trench, surrounded by bullet riddled corpses hanging off barbed wire. No. I am going to be lording it up on the beaches on Australia. Living the dream. Drinking cold bottles of beer, getting a tan that doesn't take eight weeks to get (and then lose it all in one day), admiring the fine ladies around me and listening to the latest rendition of Waltzing Matilda; Dubstep remix.
But in the middle of having the time of my life, I won't forget who I am and where I come from. I can't stand people who aren't proud of their heritage. I meet so many English people abroad who are constantly slagging off England saying how sh*t it is. These are the people who can't separate the fact they live a boring and dull life in their home country and so associate that with their country being sh*t. Don't get me wrong, England is no golden child and it has more than it's fair share of flaws. But what country doesn't? If anything, it's the flaws of my nation that make me stronger and make me want to help it. I'm a good person who contributes good to this nation, there's a lot of bad people in this country right now. How would people like me leaving forever make things any better? A captain never abandons his sinking ship.
This time last year, I absolutely dreaded the thought of going back to England. Since being back, I have loved every minute of it. Because travelling has changed my whole outlook on life. Why should my approach of excitement and curiosity in a foreign country be any different than when I'm in my own? In fact, the United Kingdom will be my final travel destination. When I finally come home, I am going to buy a camper van and travel the whole island. Because there are so many beautiful and interesting things in this country I have not yet soon. Foreign backpackers have seen more of this island than most natives. That's not right in my eyes.
This doesn't solely apply to England and the English. No matter where you are from. You should be proud of who you are. I hate people constantly moaning how rubbish their country is. Obviously it's not good to be blind with patriotism and see your country as doing no wrong. But you should love it for making you the person you are. Your country is not shit and boring. You are.
I leave for Australia in exactly one week now. I don't feel excited yet because it hasn't sunk in that I am leaving. I know once I am on that plane though, I will be buzzing. Before I go I will be staying at my grandparents. I think it fits quite well that when I leave England, the last person I see will be the most English person there is. My 86 year-old grandad. One of the dying breed of a true Englishman.
I will be gone for quite some time. Possibly a couple of years; I really don't know. But I do know one thing, when people ask me what England is like. I will tell them how great it is and is definitely worth a visit. I'm not going to scream it in their face like an over dramatic American. But I certainly won't be running it down like these self hating English people who are quite welcome to never come back. We don't want your type round here. So where ever I am, who ever I am with, how ever much a good time I am having. I will never forget the motherland. I will be dreaming of home. God save the Queen.
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