This summer, I had the opportunity to work in North Devon, England.
It was the tail end of my year abroad and when June hit and most of my auxiliar friends left Bilbao, I was starting to second guess my epic idea to stay in Europe for the summer. To say that I was “over it” was an understatement, but the instant I got off off the plane in Bristol, I couldn’t stop smiling. It was the same smile I had when I landed in NYC after backpacking and when I landed in Atlanta to visit home for Christmas in 2013. It’s that warm feeling you get of being home after a time away, the recognition of the language, feeling a deeper connection with others around you and just the feeling of being at home. I never thought I would experience this in any country but the USA, but when I landed in England, I knew I was in for a great summer.
Did I mention I was traveling this whole time with a camp of 80 spanish students and 12 counselors? Definitely made for a more interesting travel, but I was used to working with spanish highschool students from the year before. Once we landed in Bristol, we hopped onto charter buses that drove us the 3 hours to North Devon. On the bus, I immediately made friends with the bus driver, who I am not kidding when I say, looked like Prince Harry. It was so cliche, but I can’t even make this up! I asked him what to expect about North Devon, because I honestly did NO planning before hand and frankly, wasn’t even sure where I was going in England (side effect of being “over it” at the end of a year of living abroad). He explained the towns we were staying in (Barnstaple and Bideford) were sleepy towns but definitely had their own culture (as a local, he kind of bashed it the way I bash Mason, OH; which I thought was hilarious). I had mentioned that I had visited London, but he assured me this was nothing like London–not even the accents were the same.
Rolling hills of Devon
I arrived late in Barnstaple and was promptly taken to “Elizabeth’s House”, where I would be staying. Angela, the english coordinator for the camp, assured me that I would get along with Elizabeth, as she was a retired fashion designer from London (she had designed dresses for Julia Roberts!). Opening the door to Elizabeth’s house, it was the most elegant house I have even been in. Chandeliers hung from the ceiling, elegant artwork filled the walls, rich furniture infused every room and the house had a color scheme that looked like it was from a Jane Austen movie. Not to mention, the house overlooked Barnstaple and outside was a magnificent garden with small wooden bridges and fountains. Each night, Elizabeth cooked a huge dinner and I definitely improved my manners. I was staying with 2 other english teachers and a spanish student. The 2 other english teachers had been students at Cambridge and the girl, Nora, was the most elegant and proper english girl I had ever met. She had the quintessential english accent and the best table manners I had ever seen. Dinners became hilarious for me and the spanish student because, quite frankly, we were messes at dinner relative to every one else. There were some dinners we couldn’t even make eye contact without laughing–that’s how bad it was. Ron, Elizabeth’s husband, was pretty deaf so we were always shouting so he could understand us, or he would make a comment that actually had nothing to do with the conversation we were having. It was great.
Part of Elizabeth’s backyard
My love affair with England continued when I met Elle, another english teacher and her awesome host family. Elle and I clicked immediately and spent every day in England together, from going to the water park with our students to making sushi with her host family. We definitely worked hard to teach the students english, but had fun along the way! I spent a lot of time with her host family, at barbecues and just exploring Bideford, as I was staying in Barnstaple.
Elle + me + snake
While my love affair with England was cut short when the camp ended, North Devon will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s travel adventures like these that make you realize it’s less about the places you go and more about the people. My summer in North Devon came at the perfect time in my life, as I needed to leave Spain, but wasn’t quite ready to leave Europe. Now, when people ask if I fell in love abroad, I always reply that I did…with North Devon. #singlegirlproblems
Wanderlust Kait 