What I'm looking forward to

In less than a week I'll be setting off on my 25-hour journey home.  I'll be back for over a month and will spend my time seeing my family, catching up with friends, fundraising, and recharging my batteries.  Some people may be wondering, what is it that a person who lives in Russia looks forward to when coming back to America?  There are a lot of things, and it depends on the person, but here's my list of the things that I'm looking forward to most in America.

1. These people.  Not only these people, but especially these people.  I haven't seen my nearest and dearest since October, and that's long enough!

Mom, Dad, Wyatt - I miss you.

Grandma Patty, Grammie Lois - I miss you.

Wyatt, Steph- I miss you (these two are engaged now!

Eli, my bunny - I miss you

 

Boats - I miss you

2. Friendly service.  You know you live in a country with really poor service when the security guards and TSA agents in New York seem really friendly to you.

The face of the Russian service industry

3. The food.  Russian food is great, don't get me wrong, but there is far less variety.  I want Mexican, Chinese, good Sushi, steak, decent burgers, and of course all of the wonderful home-cooked things that my mama makes.

Cooking Mexican in Russia; it's just not the same, plus those taco shells tasted like cardboard and dust

4. American comfort.  People will argue forever about which country is the "best", but you cannot argue with the fact that America is the most comfortable country in the world.  Our roads are excellent and our traffic is quiet; people are friendly; portions at restaurants are huge; most people are law abiding (police included!). America is just a really comfortable place, and while that isn't the meaning of life, it will be nice to relax for a bit, cruising down the wide, paved road with Starbucks in hand.

Boats and I went to see U2 in Seattle - look at this: Starbucks, a mini-van, people in sneakers and hoodies, neat and tidy cobblestone...what a dream!  And driving there was a cinch...

 

 

 

 

 

...compared to driving in Russia, which is terrifying.  Steering wheel on the right? Very common, the car was imported directly from Japan; it's cheaper that way, but TOTALLY SCARY

5. R and R.  I'm not going back to the States for vacation, let's be clear, I've got plenty to do, but it's hard to live in another country, in another culture, speaking another language, and so on.  It's a kind of imperceptible stress that slowly takes the wind out of your sails, and when you're back home, not having to worry about all the cultural and language differences is downright relaxing.

Having a doughnut in America; this is the life!

This is the short list of things I'm looking forward to in America; it's not all, but it's the big ones.  I'll be back before I know it, but for now the anticipation is killing me!

Look forward to updates while I'm on "holiday"!

Пока ребята,

Russian Jane