(loving London)
As my time abroad is quickly winding down I get sadder by the day,
however I'm looking forward to the follwing:
- family & friends obviously
- ice cubes
- tap water
- sundresses
- men ignoring me
- running around the lake
- my delightful, chubby, and somewhat neurotic beagles
- Flintstones multivitamins with extra iron (so I don't go all out anemic)
- easier access to non animal protein
- the public library (my to-read list has reached epic proportions)
- The X Files. Mulder was, is, and will continue to be my first crush.
- the L.A. road trip, in theory
- the dermatologist
however I'm looking forward to the follwing:
- family & friends obviously
- ice cubes
- tap water
- sundresses
- men ignoring me
- running around the lake
- my delightful, chubby, and somewhat neurotic beagles
- Flintstones multivitamins with extra iron (so I don't go all out anemic)
- easier access to non animal protein
- the public library (my to-read list has reached epic proportions)
- The X Files. Mulder was, is, and will continue to be my first crush.
- the L.A. road trip, in theory
- the dermatologist
- resuming a steady source of income, Europe did unspeakable things to my checking account
- my favorite regulars at work
- grand adventures with my soul mate Hannah
- air conditioning (erlack, I sound like such a whine-y Westerner)
- steady wifi
- doing my own laundry again
- having more of a choice in what I eat
- mostly just my independence in general
- and of course not being harassed all the damn time
The things I'll miss here are innumerable though,
how Baba always calls me "Mellaka Ayelisabet" (Queen Elizabeth), Leila's Berber tattoos, your growing crow's feet, the prices, the eclectic culture, the smells, the sounds, the inexpensive taxi rides, the waste not want not mentality, the donkeys, the fountains illuminated at night, the oranges in the trees, goofing off in a foreign language, how my host mom folds my underwear into neat little squares, the dancing, the music, the avocado juice, the tomatoes (best I've ever had), the immense gratification I have whenever someone does a double take when they hear me speaking Arabic, the fact that yes, I do read and write and speak Arabic (granted I slaughter the language gracelessly but I've made significant progress) the more intimate sense of community, running past sheep grazing on the side of the road, the mountains, the beaches..
and the definitive moments of happiness I've experienced here. If Alzheimer's or dementia eat away at my history as they did my predecessors, I hope they leave this in tact. Standing in the Atlantic, arms out stretched as we try to fight the waves, the laughter and salt on our lips. I want to remember us like this always. Epitomizing our youth, feeling infinite, realizing how much is possible and how much we're truly capable of. One of the most significant aspects of my experience abroad has been my steady self actualization; I really can do anything I set my mind to.
- my favorite regulars at work
- grand adventures with my soul mate Hannah
- air conditioning (erlack, I sound like such a whine-y Westerner)
- steady wifi
- doing my own laundry again
- having more of a choice in what I eat
- mostly just my independence in general
- and of course not being harassed all the damn time
The things I'll miss here are innumerable though,
how Baba always calls me "Mellaka Ayelisabet" (Queen Elizabeth), Leila's Berber tattoos, your growing crow's feet, the prices, the eclectic culture, the smells, the sounds, the inexpensive taxi rides, the waste not want not mentality, the donkeys, the fountains illuminated at night, the oranges in the trees, goofing off in a foreign language, how my host mom folds my underwear into neat little squares, the dancing, the music, the avocado juice, the tomatoes (best I've ever had), the immense gratification I have whenever someone does a double take when they hear me speaking Arabic, the fact that yes, I do read and write and speak Arabic (granted I slaughter the language gracelessly but I've made significant progress) the more intimate sense of community, running past sheep grazing on the side of the road, the mountains, the beaches..
and the definitive moments of happiness I've experienced here. If Alzheimer's or dementia eat away at my history as they did my predecessors, I hope they leave this in tact. Standing in the Atlantic, arms out stretched as we try to fight the waves, the laughter and salt on our lips. I want to remember us like this always. Epitomizing our youth, feeling infinite, realizing how much is possible and how much we're truly capable of. One of the most significant aspects of my experience abroad has been my steady self actualization; I really can do anything I set my mind to.
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