Firework.

"You gotta ignite the light

and let it shine.

Just own the night

like the Fourth of July."

-Katy Perry.

Right now, I think I'm realizing I really do have the best of both worlds.

As those two worlds collided within the midst of a short weekend, I remembered how appreciative I am for everything I get to experience while across the pond. This two-day agenda consisted of: first English football game, Superbowl and a traditional Sunday Roast.

If you know anything about me at all, you know that I was born and raised on the game of soccer. From age six, it became my life and developed into my love of so many other sports. Soccer was always number one in my heart though. Returning to a somewhat professional soccer setting made me want to tie up some cleats and sacrifice smooth skin for bruises and shinguard marks along my legs. I think it's the combination of my competitive edge and the release you feel when you kick a ball that makes my heart bleed for the sport. Although the team we were rooting for lost (by a stupid PK, for that matter), I still was completely enthralled with every action on the field. I couldn't take my eyes away from the game no matter how hard I tried. I guess that's just a part of this continuum of love at first goal I have for that sport.

To follow up with all that Britishness, Kelly and I took tube after tube after tube to wind up in a tiny lemon car driving through the narrowest of backroads. You see, outside of London lies the outskirts. In the outskirts comes the country. And that, my friends, is different than any other dark dirt roads I've been on. Anyways, we spent the night out in the "boondocks" with Kelly's family and of course, we had to have pints in the pub and tea for dessert. We even got the personal tour of the village on Sunday morning (rain was not falling contrary to the lyrics of Maroon 5) and walked through spooky graveyards to mud-suck fields. To top it all off, Sunday Roast was on the menu. Roast beef. Yorkshire pudding. Fried potatoes. YUM.

And when we said goodbye to those quiet streets of whereverweweretown, we fell back into our American roots and stayed up until almost 4am watching America's crown jewels of sporting events, the Superbowl. Shout out to the Patriots for being awesome and winning because now I can taunt Kelly about choosing the winning team. BOOM TOWN.

Although it seems like the cultures differentiate themselves from each other, both made me feel like I was right at home. I mean a Sunday Roast was essentially the British version of tri-tip dinner. I saw both kinds of football, representing both of my home nations in a sense. I lived with the English family we have here, but it only made me think of my own back in California.

I'm proud to be an American. I'm proud to be living in the United Kingdom. I'm proud to be a girl exploring all of her options and loving every minute along the way.

PS Katy Perry rocked the Halftime show. Don't even begin to argue with that. It's a fact. Let's be real. She's the best and those sharks were so lol-worthy that it made EVERYTHING better.