With a sense of sadness, I write my last journal entry from the United States. I'm moving on. In a month I'm going back to London where my journey began.

When I departed for the United States, I left behind a relationship, family and friends, a familiar life and a country I knew. Boarding that plane, I was both apprehensive and excited. I had planned to stay for a year. In the end, I stayed for two.

Needless to say, making a new life in another country isn't the easiest of tasks. But I very quickly settled in, made a home for myself and found new friends.

The experience has taught me many things, and is one I won't forget. What will I miss the most? Without doubt, the people. My wild and wacky physicist friends will be with me for ever! Their kindness, generosity and joie de vivre have taught me to be a better person. It is a rare treat to work with people from all over the globe and to discover friendships that cross the boundaries of culture. Four o'clock teatime will never again be the same without at least six different nationalities round the table...

Leaving your roots isn't easy. Neither is going back. But there are many things to tempt me home: good food, the BBC, public transport... And so a new journey begins. See you on the other side of the Atlantic.