I had a difficult time waking up this morning. I was exhausted and frankly I needed more rest, so I slept until noon. It’s been a while since I’ve slept in that late, and I do feel guilty for taking that time to recover this morning, but I’m not going to let it get me down for too long.

On my list of ten things I want to do this week is to finish my assignments for this module. I’ve been making an effort with my assignments and I do feel good about my progress so far. I started on a tricky technical drawing for the space planning of the room I’m designing and I actually finished it! Now I’ve just got to make a few tweaks in PhotoShop and then I can move on to the next assignment. I believe I’ll be able to finish this module and turn in my assignments tomorrow evening, just in time for my Wednesday deadline.

This afternoon I FaceTimed my mom, which means I’ve got at least one thing I can cross off my list this week! It was so good to catch up with her and fill her in with all of the house-related drama we’ve been having over the weekend. FaceTiming with my mom really made me miss her, though.

After we talked I got pretty overwhelmed and emotional about how much I miss America. I miss having friends nearby and being able to count on their support. Luckily my friend Jude called me and made me feel better and a whole lot less alienated. Since she’s also an American expat living in the UK she knows exactly what I’m going through, so it was reassuring to know I’m not alone and I’m not overreacting because she gets homesick, too. We made plans to go up to visit her and her husband for the bank holiday weekend at the end of the month and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s not often that I make plans like this but I think I could really use a fun weekend with someone who understands what I’m going through.

So today has been tough. I’ve fought hard not to get too upset with myself, and even though I don’t always win it’s nice to know that I can try again tomorrow.