Things I Miss From Asia
- Markets
- Fresh, cheap, good fruit
- People smiling
- Two people carrying one bag
- People telling me I?m beautiful
- People yelling ?I love you? from moving vehicles
- Water Buffaloes
- Pop in glass bottles
- Knowing that the hair in my food is mine because it?s not black
- Taking photos
- Motorbike taxis
- Making decisions day-to-day
- Arriving in a new town
- Reading maps
- Riding local buses
- Meeting new people
- Lack of media saturation
- Not knowing what?s going on in the world
- Getting up early for good reasons (like the sunrise)
- Not knowing what time/day/month it is
- Wearing sandals
- Knowing that it will be clear and sunny every day
- Brooms
- Pineapple shakes
- Street vendors and food stalls
- Well-behaved children
Things I Don?t Miss From Asia
- Plastic bag litter
- People spitting
- People flinging their snot
- Packing my bag
- Bargaining
- No fixed prices
- Foreigner prices
- Clothes that are too small for me
- Being asked where I?m from
- Being told ?America is #1?
- People telling me I?m beautiful
- Mosquitoes
- Sweating
- Doing math to convert currencies
- Taking photos
- Dirty feet
- Dodging touts, drivers and money changers
- Learning the same phrases in a new language every three weeks
- BBC World News
- Counterfeit everything
- Paying more for visas because I?m American
- Being called ?Madam?
- Lying about being alone, where I?m staying etc.
- Drinks in plastic bags
- Papaya
- Trying to explain why America reelected Bush
Things I Had to Get Used To Upon My Return
- Receipts
- Tax
- Driving
- Speed limits
- Price tags
- Eating with a fork
- Cutting food
- Handing people things with my left hand
- Sports coverage
- Local news
- Low humidity
- Putting toilet paper in the toilet
- Not hoarding small bills
- Socks