As previously mentioned there are really many things I have missed during the last six months. Some things I didn't realize I would be going without and some things I didn't realize I would miss at all. Like Tampa for one. It really shocked me to discover over the last six months just how much I miss that city. The summer weather is certainly not something I have missed, but when I look back, life was pretty good. At least it was very comfortable and predictable - two things I suppose I have missed from time to time while traveling.
But for the sake of time, here is just a bulleted list in no particular order and likely nowhere near all inclusive of the many other things. I'm sure once I get home I will re-discover other things that really belong on this list too!
-Friends and family (duh! And really all 8 things from the list before)
-Lemonade (it just doesn't exist anywhere else! They try to bring you Sprite or some other citrus juice.)
-Smoothies (most places don't know how to make 'em!)
-My blender
-The Daily Show
-The Olympics
-GPS
-An unlimited cell data/text plan
-Summertime in the US
-Benches (Europe has some phobia to benches, I think perhaps because the continent is overrun with tourists. To my irking, they were most notably absent in train stations and many public outdoor places when you wanted them most!)
-NPR (thanks to discovering podcasts in July I have been able to still enjoy many of my favorite programs)
-Yoga
-Actual customer service (just unheard of in Australia and Europe)
-Four seasons or some change in weather (I am so ready for autumn now!)
-Some sense of a routine each day
-Seemingly unlimited hard drive space on my MacBookPro (darn 16GB iPad!)
-My sense of portion control...where has it gone?? (Unfortunately, I think aided by the fact that Europeans don't ever take food home from restaurants and also from falling prey to the "when in Rome" mentality and eating around the clock, I think I have permanently expanded the size of my stomach)
And with my eyes turned back towards life in the US, a couple of things I haven't missed:
-Driving. Renting cars was fun in New Zealand, Portugal and Italy, but public transportation has felt somehow easier, safer, obviously cheaper, and more reliable. And hearing about gas prices right now in the US only has me more motivated to bike more!
-American politics. I have been keeping a lazy, or better, a rolling eye, at America's election season and I can't say I'm excited to see any attack ad commercials on TV when I get home.
-Bills. Cell phone, health insurance, etc. Just more reasons why it's time to look for a job again!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
