Since moving here, the one question I get asked really often is 'What do you miss most?' I think a lot of people think this is a fun and safe question and they are probably hoping to hear something about what it's like to live in America. With this in mind, I usually give them an answer about missing my favorite foods and tell stories about my fist visits to the Supermarkets in England and how strange it was to recognize almost nothing on the shelves..
Although I do miss my favorite foods and would love to get a care package filled with all the goodies I can't get here (it's such a shame the shipping costs so damned much), it's not at all the honest answer.
What do I miss most? That's a really hard question to answer...
I miss my dog. I still find it hard to hold back the tears when ever I see a Jack Russell Terrier and it's just my luck that I moved to the country that the little dogs come from! He's a special little dog and even though I know he's loved by my friend who has him, it's still hard not having him with me. I figure it will take becoming a mother to really get over the loss of my little Milo. Sadly, that's what happens when you're a woman that's over 30 with no Children - your pets become your kids.
I miss the comfort of familiarity. It's really hard to explain, but I miss feeling at home and how comforting it is to drive down a street you know so well you could drive it with your eyes closed. And speaking of driving - I really miss driving. I miss the freedom of jumping in the car and going where I please when I please without having to depend on anyone. It's been almost a year since I've been behind the wheel and I really can't wait to go back for a visit just to feel like a grown-up again! It's a pity I have to live like a 16 year old without the perk of having the body of one!
I miss being around people who really know me. I miss how good it feels to just sit across from someone (someone I'm not married to anyway) who really cares about what I have to say and who's interested. I miss my dear friends and being able to talk to them whenever the feeling strikes (instead of battling the time difference). I miss my family (even though most of them drive me to drink when I'm around them for too long). I miss seeing the kids I love grow up.
I really miss all of those things, but to answer the question with complete honesty - I have to say what I miss most is my best friend, Nicole (I can't beileve how fat I was in that picture!). Nic and I have been best friends for 20 years. She has been my rock in life and if we have non-romantic soul mates - Nic would be mine. She has always been there through it all - through the laughter, the tears, the good times and bad - she has gone through my life with me and I find it so hard living without her for the first time in my adult life. I joke that one day I'll move back and we'll move into the house next door to her so that I can grow old with the two people I love most in the world. Since I'm being honest here - I'm really only half-kidding because it would be really nice...
It's been a while since I blogged regularly. I guess I've been going by the rule - if you don't have anything nice to say - don't say anything at all. I hate 'woe is me' type entries and for the last month or so, I've been really down and haven't had anything good to say. I think it started with the news that Aniela (my fellow expat girlfriend) was moving back to the US and was exacerbated by the incident with Wayne's cousin and the flare up of my condition (along with a general feeling of homesickness & loneliness). I was really depressed for quite a few weeks there and haven't been doing much more than going to the gym and other random things to keep me busy during the day. I haven't even worked on my web classes (in any serious way) in weeks (probably because I can't concentrate when I'm in pain - never mind get very motivated). I'm not so down anymore. Maybe it's the sunshine. Maybe it's the fact that I'...
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