I wasn’t lying when I said I would be super busy this month. Just another week and a half until I’m done with all this research/writing business. Since my current life has consisted of library, coffee shop, library, kitchen study table, cinema, and more library…I thought I would take this time off to soothe my mind by creating a list. Lists are supposed to be therapeutic right? I’m not really a list maker. Grocery lists? No thanks. Travel checklists? Just setting yourself up for disappointment. There was a time in my life when I claimed to have created a list of things I HAD to do in life. I’m pretty sure that navigating my way through a giant corn maze was one of them…but that may’ve just been a ploy to get my parents to drive me out to the middle of nowhere to get lost in the stalks. I still wanna go skydiving…if only to put a stop to this reoccurring nightmare I have of myself free falling with a broken parachute. Anyhow, this list isn’t of things I want to do. Rather, it’s about the things I miss. As June 24th grows closer, I’m becoming more and more aware of my imminent return. People keep asking me if I’m excited to go back. I’m excited (and not) at the same time. When I insisted that coming over here for a whole year was the only way to really make another home for myself, I didn’t consider that it would be another home I’d have to leave behind. I just don’t want this whole experience to feel like a dream. Sometimes when an experience feels so isolated from the life you left and the life you’re going back to, it can feel like it never happened. I can’t really tell if I’ve changed (except that my clothes are a little tighter), but I’m hoping something will feel a little different once I’m back. ‘Till then, I present to you the top ten things I miss (people and animals excluded, because that’s too obvious).
1. Couches- Does this make me sound lazy? My dad always laughs when he finds me sprawled out on the couch, “assuming my usual position,” claiming that it’s impossible for me to sit up on a couch like a proper human. If you spent a year in bleak accommodations with jail-style furniture, I’m sure you’d miss the cozy comfort of a couch too.
2. Sushi- It’s impossible to find decent sushi here! At least for anything less than exorbitant prices. They act like any kind of international cuisine (besides Indian) is far too exotic for a normal meal. Note to friends and family: prepare to eat sushi every night upon my return.
3. Alrighty, number three is just gonna consist of all the other food-related stuff I miss. Veggie burritos from Cosmic Cantina, fish tacos from La Fonda, breakfast biscuits from Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, everything from Panahar, juice bars and smoothie shops, Whole Foods salad bar, TRADER JOE’S, free chips and salsa at Mexican restaurants, free anything, shrimp and grits, my Mom’s cooking (especially those shrimp stuffed peppers and black bean cakes, hint hint), Alpine Bagel, LocoPops, andddd good ol’ Southern cooking!
4. Netflix- I’ve got a rather long list going in the back of my notebook that will form my queue once my account’s been reactivated. Also looking forward to sitting on a couch (see #1) and watching these movies on a screen that is not my laptop.
5. The Blue House- ’nuff said
6. Manicures- Not exactly the kind of luxury I can afford with this exchange rate. I’ve managed to keep my hands looking decent, but my feet have been hiding in boots for the past nine months and they’re not looking pretty.
7. Goodwill- Definitely the first stop on the shopping agenda when I get back to Atlanta. I can’t wait to spend the afternoon rummaging those racks, especially knowing that there’s 9 months worth of junk potential treasures that I’ve yet to ransack. This could only be better if Hilary was there to help fill the cart.
8. My bicycle- I’m sure my precious Schwinn will be a bit rusty after spending a year locked up on the front porch in Chapel Hill, but I’m hoping it can be salvaged. I like being able to use the public transportation around Brighton, but I think my legs miss the exercise of riding to class.
9. Woods and crickets and heavy rain storms- I miss the forest and the trails that run through it, especially those conveniently located in my own neighborhood. I miss front porches and crickets crying. And I miss lightning and thunder and rain that pours. I love those summer storms that hang around for an hour before letting the sun move in. It just drizzles here for days on end, and the sun is still a sight for sore eyes.
10. The rest of my wardrobe- My Brighton friends don’t believe me when I say that the clothes I brought are only a tiny fraction of what I left behind. It’s gonna be great once I’m back because everything I left will seem new again! Unless it’s all too small :-/
I think that’s a pretty good list. I’m sure I’ll only be able to think about the things I miss in Brighton once I’m back in the US. Perhaps a Part II will follow…
Pingback: five days time « the things she saul