Before I left in September, I wrote a list of things I would and wouldn't miss about home while away in France. I'm going to look at the list of things I thought I'd miss and see how accurate I was, as well as make a few additions I didn't expect.
After 7 months away, here are...
The Real Things I Miss
1) Mexican Food (aka TexMex): Yes. All the time. It will be the first thing I eat when I get home. I can't even tell you how much I miss it.
2) Being able to get almost anything at almost anytime: YES. So much. After 7 months, I STILL occasionally forget about making sure I have food on Saturday (as France is essentially closed on Sundays).
2) Being able to get almost anything at almost anytime: YES. So much. After 7 months, I STILL occasionally forget about making sure I have food on Saturday (as France is essentially closed on Sundays).
3) Target: Not really that much. But I will be excited to go in May!
4) Turning on the TV/radio and being able to understand every word: Not really. I don't even have a TV here, and the radio I kind of like in French. However, I mostly listen to Spotify or 8tracks now (Pandora doesn't work in Europe), sooo I listen to what I want to anyway.
5) The chance that you just might see a man riding a horse in the middle of your regular life: Not really, that was kind of a joke. Though that is always exciting. :)
6) Texas sunsets: Yes. I mean, not that bad... I do love the sunsets here too, but I will be happy to see huge, million-colored, epic Texas sunsets on a regular basis.
4) Turning on the TV/radio and being able to understand every word: Not really. I don't even have a TV here, and the radio I kind of like in French. However, I mostly listen to Spotify or 8tracks now (Pandora doesn't work in Europe), sooo I listen to what I want to anyway.
5) The chance that you just might see a man riding a horse in the middle of your regular life: Not really, that was kind of a joke. Though that is always exciting. :)
6) Texas sunsets: Yes. I mean, not that bad... I do love the sunsets here too, but I will be happy to see huge, million-colored, epic Texas sunsets on a regular basis.
7) Peanut Butter: YES. I can get it here, but it takes like 45 minutes on the bus each way (even though it would take 10 minutes each way in a car), soooo I don't get it. And I miss it.
8) DFW Sports: Yes... who's taking me to a Rangers game this summer?!
9) Two words: Magnolia. Mae.: YES, yes, yes. I can't tell you how much I miss my dog. There is no experience that replicates or even close to replaces the relationship between a person and a dog. Occasionally I Facebook stalk my own dog because I miss her so much. Oh my gosh, I just admitted that on the Internet.
10) Big girl paychecks: YES! I don't even have a job next year, so who knows when I'll be getting big girl paychecks again. But I need them. Gotta pay them billllllz.
11) All of the family and friends that I love in Texas (and other places in the United States, namely Louisiana): YES. Obviously this is true. I have been able to keep in contact with a lot of my family and friends (thanks Facebook, FreeMobile, email, & Skype), so that's made things easier, as well as the knowledge that it's only 8 months. But I'll be really happy to be able to be with/see/talk to/text/call my family and friends easily. Soon!
10) Big girl paychecks: YES! I don't even have a job next year, so who knows when I'll be getting big girl paychecks again. But I need them. Gotta pay them billllllz.
11) All of the family and friends that I love in Texas (and other places in the United States, namely Louisiana): YES. Obviously this is true. I have been able to keep in contact with a lot of my family and friends (thanks Facebook, FreeMobile, email, & Skype), so that's made things easier, as well as the knowledge that it's only 8 months. But I'll be really happy to be able to be with/see/talk to/text/call my family and friends easily. Soon!
New Additions: Things I Didn't I Realize I'd Miss
1) Baths: Ohhhhhhhh my gosh. I miss baths so. freaking. much. I'm glad to have a private shower in my room, but what I would do to have a bath a couple of nights a week. What a luxury that I never realized was a luxury.
2) A Kitchen: Okay, let's be real, I've never been a Top Chef. Since for the past few years I've mostly lived by myself, cooking hasn't really been that exciting to me. But after this entire time of not having a kitchen, I long for a kitchen. I dream of the day when I have a fridge, and a stove, and an oven. Maybe this is the turning point in my culinary life?! Only time will tell. But I'm really excited to eat something else besides kettle couscous, for the love.
2) A Kitchen: Okay, let's be real, I've never been a Top Chef. Since for the past few years I've mostly lived by myself, cooking hasn't really been that exciting to me. But after this entire time of not having a kitchen, I long for a kitchen. I dream of the day when I have a fridge, and a stove, and an oven. Maybe this is the turning point in my culinary life?! Only time will tell. But I'm really excited to eat something else besides kettle couscous, for the love.
3) My Car: The convenience, the freedom, the feeling of driving, my ol' (mostly) faithful car herself, the built-in personal time... I miss it all. I don't, however, miss traffic.
4) Washer & Dryer: I'm tired of having to devote a whole afternoon to laundry. Just over it. Can't wait to be able to do laundry in a normal way (not have to leave the house).
5) My clothes: I'm tired of looking at the same clothes over and over again. Seriously.
6) MY BED: I haven't slept in my actual bed since November 2011 when it went into storage. I miss it. So much.
7) Singing: I love to sing. It's therapeutic. It's what I do when I'm sad, mad, stressed, happy, excited... If I don't have time to sing (really sing - loudly - with abandon), I get all stressed and not myself. I really do miss my shower, car, clean-up-the-apartment singing sessions. I don't really have my own private spaces where I can sing out loud at the top of my lungs. On more than a couple occasions, I've found myself singing in the streets of Narbonne along with my iPod. Imagine the French people's reactions when that happens. WHOOPS.
8) Books: Okay, it's not that books don't exist here. It's just that a) I'm not really excited about reading in French. I feel like that's all I did from 2005-2010, and I'm kind of over it for a while (or possibly forever). b) I don't have a library card. c) I don't have much disposable income. d) Even if I did, Narbonne's not exactly a mecca for English books. I have managed to read some thanks to my Kindle, but only free books (except for Room by Emma Donoghue, which I read thanks to my BFF Amy's awesome birthday present to me). However, my Kindle died a month ago sooo that's the end even of that. Anyway, I hope I'll have the opportunity to do a ton of reading this summer!
9) People being able to pronounce my name correctly: I don't understand why people can't get it right. There are four sounds in my name (two syllables), all of which exist in French. It is NOT that difficult. I feel like I don't even exist in this country sometimes. Get it together, people.
5) My clothes: I'm tired of looking at the same clothes over and over again. Seriously.
6) MY BED: I haven't slept in my actual bed since November 2011 when it went into storage. I miss it. So much.
7) Singing: I love to sing. It's therapeutic. It's what I do when I'm sad, mad, stressed, happy, excited... If I don't have time to sing (really sing - loudly - with abandon), I get all stressed and not myself. I really do miss my shower, car, clean-up-the-apartment singing sessions. I don't really have my own private spaces where I can sing out loud at the top of my lungs. On more than a couple occasions, I've found myself singing in the streets of Narbonne along with my iPod. Imagine the French people's reactions when that happens. WHOOPS.
8) Books: Okay, it's not that books don't exist here. It's just that a) I'm not really excited about reading in French. I feel like that's all I did from 2005-2010, and I'm kind of over it for a while (or possibly forever). b) I don't have a library card. c) I don't have much disposable income. d) Even if I did, Narbonne's not exactly a mecca for English books. I have managed to read some thanks to my Kindle, but only free books (except for Room by Emma Donoghue, which I read thanks to my BFF Amy's awesome birthday present to me). However, my Kindle died a month ago sooo that's the end even of that. Anyway, I hope I'll have the opportunity to do a ton of reading this summer!
9) People being able to pronounce my name correctly: I don't understand why people can't get it right. There are four sounds in my name (two syllables), all of which exist in French. It is NOT that difficult. I feel like I don't even exist in this country sometimes. Get it together, people.
..................................
So that's there's the lowdown on what I really did end up missing. Aside from the obvious winner (people), the things I miss the most are the quotidian things, just regular ol' daily life stuff. It's funny how much you take for granted in your daily life. The things that you think are just normal and that you don't think about twice, that's the stuff you miss. I will have a new appreciation for all of these things once I return, and I hope to keep it. Can you imagine if you moved not only to an entirely different environment (aka a different continent), but also to, say, a developing country? How much do we take for granted in our everyday life? Especially as citizens of the developed world, where we have things so easy (and in the States, where we put more emphasis on daily convenience than anywhere else)? Are these things necessary for happiness? Could you/would you be happy, regardless of your environment?
These are the questions, my friends. These are the questions.
ps: I am and have been happy this year. Having free time, traveling, spending time with new interesting people... I have been in my element. The lack of these things does not ruin my life. I just, you know, miss 'em. :)
These are the questions, my friends. These are the questions.
ps: I am and have been happy this year. Having free time, traveling, spending time with new interesting people... I have been in my element. The lack of these things does not ruin my life. I just, you know, miss 'em. :)
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