Premature nostalgia for England

From the NY Times, an American reminisces about that most spectacular mixture of wit, understatement and politeness that is language at Oxbridge:

Katz continued: “After a year or so of tuning into the subtleties of the English language, something quite remarkable occurred — I began to perceive many different layers of expression in ways the British communicate. Where they are often criticized by Americans for being cold, I began to see endless expressions of warmth. Where they might be considered narrow-minded, I found instead some of the most open-minded, progressive minds I have encountered.”

English tolerance can be as uplifting as American idealism, that many-faceted and quizzical “quite” seeing U.S. “hope.

I hear you, mate. I have two months to go, but I miss 'em Brits already.

With that, I am back on the blog after the thesis sabbatical, deluding myself I discovered something profound about social democratic parties of Europe in the meantime. It turns out I am going back to the States next year for a PhD. Oh well, this kid will never stop studying as my mother used to say.