Well hello there, strangers. Been a long time. I bet you thought I'd forgotten about this series or just given up on it. Given my penchant for getting distracted and quitting things halfway, I wouldn't blame you for this assumption. The truth is, I've been drowning in work the last month and have simply not had the time to keep coming up with new topics. BUT. Today I submitted my final documents for Capstone, and now I have some time back in my life. So even though today is Friday, I am making an exception and am posting a new installment to revive this guy. Hopefully I'll be a bit more consistent from here on out.
Every now and then I'm hit with a bout of nostalgia for life in the States. Don't get me wrong, I love living in India and oftentimes would rather be here and miss these things than the other way around. But every once in a while something will happen [mum coming to visit, Super Bowl Sunday, etc.] that will remind me that there are perks to being in the States. Most of them revolve around food, sporting events, and / or holidays [sometimes all 3 at once], and they're why, even if I don't settle back in the States, I'll keep returning every once in a while...well that, and the fact that my parents and brothers and friends are there also, and I need to remind them what I look like every once in a while...
30 things I miss about living in the States:
- my family and friends. obviously.
- the Braves. the Packers. the Razorbacks. the Grizzlies.
- college football.
- March Madness.
- good BBQ.
- readily available - and cheap - Dr Pepper. especially with crushed ice. and especially from Burger Shack.
- live sporting events.
- spending Thanksgiving on the couch stuffing my face and watching football.
- real ovens in which to bake brownies.
- Memphis eateries [Huey's; Kwik Chek; Fino's; Lenny's; Gus'; India Palace; Bosco's; Central BBQ; Rendezvous; Waffle House; BBQ Shop...the list goes on for days]
- fall weather and watching the leaves change colour.
- the Town Pump.
- cheesy gordita crunches from Taco Bell.
- being able to run outside without getting stared at.
- good salad that's not ridiculously expensive.
- DVR.
- hopping in my car and going for a nice long drive.
- the buildup to Christmas. it's difficult to get into the Christmas spirit when it's 40 / 104 degrees outside and I'm walking around in shorts. that's right, that's how hot it was yesterday. in March. don't you dare complain about your snowstorms anymore.
- affordable bourbon.
- snow. we don't get a whole lot down in the dirty south [not when I'm in the country, at least], but I still miss it.
- weddings and babies. my friends', not my own.
- Super Bowl Sunday.
- Old Navy and Target and Barnes & Noble.
- footpaths you can actually walk on. I've said it before and I'll say it again: it's so nice to be able to walk on a nice even footpath that's not littered with rubbish or people peddling an assortment of items you'll never need or random drips of unidentified liquids coming from the houses above [my current street in Bombay is a particular offender of the last one. yuck].
- cooking. this is more because we don't have a gas connection or a fridge at home, but I got used to cooking dinner a few nights a week last year, and I miss it.
- wicked fast internet that allows you to do multiple things at once. including streaming television shows.
- miniature golf. putt-putt could be a gold mine here.
- bowling. especially glow-in-the-dark bowling.
- watching the children I used to baby-sit grow up and turn into real people.
- self-checkout in the supermarket.
I plan on partaking in as many of these things as I can when I return next month [approximate return date is 14 April. mark your calendars, kids!] and getting my fill while making my list of the 30 things I miss about living in India. I've accepted that this is just how it's going to be. There are many worse crutches to bear in life, so I'll be fine.
Good to see you kids again, and hopefully it won't be another month before another of these gets done.
xx
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