What I will appreciate in the US...

I like to think that I'm a low maintenance girl. Well, I at least think I'm not high maintenance. Okay, maybe I'm middle maintenance (if it didn't exist before, it does now.)  Enjoying comfort is definitely a great pastime of mine but I also find joy in living the simple life: working at Kidder Creek pretty much sums that up.

However, while I've been in South Korea, there are things that I realize I take for granted back in the US. Different people, places, things, lifestyle, manners and food are just an overview.  Being without these lovely aspects of life has challenged me to learn to appreciate new and different things, but let's be real - I'm stoked to be able to appreciate some of the stuff again when I return.

Because you have no idea what things are in the "easy access" or "cannot find it in this country for the life of me", I'm going to share what I will appreciate so much more when I return home. As usual, I'm not putting down the Korean lifestyle, food, etiquette, etc...I'm just not Korean, so I think it's fair to miss aspects of home :)

In addition to the expected appreciations of being back with family and friends, I will appreciate...

-Mexican food. This includes but is not limited to: fresh tortillas from Old Town Mexican Cafe, my mom's green chile chicken enchiladas, fresh salsa, avocados, Tommy's Burrito, horchata, margaritas and anything and everything made by Claudia or Patty's family. YUM.

-Clothes dryers. Planning out laundry is quite a quandary when drying it on a rack. Especially in humidity.

-Real showers - not a showerhead mounted above my sink in the middle of my bathroom...but a beautiful, shower curtained/doored shower where water is contained in the shower...and not all over my bathroom floor.

-Wanda - My glorious, faithful Toyota Corolla who gets wonderful gas mileage, allows me to sing at the top of my lungs, and is there for my disposal.  Sure will beat waiting/walking in the rain/humidity/cold/etc. for a bus/subway.

-English.  This may be obvious, but I will be overjoyed (and overwhelmed) to be able to read everything.  The other day I bought something that was imported from the US and it had an English description on the back. I was shocked and so excited...It will be nice when that is the norm again.

-Anonymity. Surprise, surprise, but I stand out a bit here with my stunning good looks (or maybe it's the fact that I'm a white, blue eyed foreigner, we'll never know).  While I'll miss the celebrity status at school, it will nice not to be blatantly stared at in public.

-Humid-less summers.  I'm definitely anti-humidity.  I'd rather sweat it out in 100+ degree heat if it's dry than be in humidity.

-Houses. Not horribly wallpapered studio apartments or apartments in general, but real houses. with...carpet. ahhhh my toes are getting excited for carpet right now.

-Personal Bubble.  There is no such thing as personal space here, so I will love it when bumping/elbowing/pushing people in public places is not common anymore.

-Food. This could take up a post all on it's own.  Not because I don't like Korean food, I just miss certain foods that are near impossible to find or are different quality (think Taco Bell vs. legit Mexican food) - still good, but not the same. I will appreciate -

mint and chocolate anything as the combo is not popular here. whole wheat products. Dr. Pepper. a larger variety of fruits and veggies I recognize. anything baked in an oven (cookies, casseroles, anything!). grilled chicken. Kashi products. everything from Trader Joe's. natural peanut butter. American gum. Pesto, sundried tomatoes, and feta cheese. Junior Mints. Skim milk. Drip coffee. coffee creamer. Ranch dressing. Hummus. pita bread.

YUM. I could seriously go on and on, but you get the point.

-Customization. With the language barrier here, it's way easier to just deal with what you order/ask for even if it's not ideal.  One of my friends is vegetarian and has a hard time even communicating "no meat" so forget an order like "burger cooked well without onions and just a little bit of sauce but can I have some ranch/ketchup on the side?"  I plan on going into Starbucks at home and ordering a super complicated drink just for the fun of it. :)

-Orchards and open fields. Maybe they have them somewhere in Korea, but I haven't found them.  It's either city (which I live in) or foresty mountains.  I can't wait for open spaces, running along the canal banks, and driving country roads.

-Time Zone Similarity! Thank the Lord for Skype and flat rate subscriptions because it has been my saving grace. However, I can not wait until I don't have to do math in my head before making a call and hoping beyond hope that they will answer because if they don't, I have to keep calling since they can't call back and then I feel slightly like a stalker.  With the same time zone (or at least within a few hours), a cell phone to call back/text with, it will be much, much easier to communicate.

As you can probably guess, I could make this list go on and on for ages. Luckily for you, I won't do that and will end it here.

And as a recap, this is not a whine about how Korea doesn't provide these amenities, but just letting you know what is different over here! I'll soon be doing a list of things I've come to really appreciate here in Korea so you can see what I love!