(disclaimer: I am leaving people off these lists because if I included people, this post would get wayyy too emotional and too long)
2. My squishy comfortable mattress: I've gotten used to my harder mattress here in Taiwan, but the few times I've slept in a hotel with a super soft mattress I feel like I'm sleeping on a big marshmallow, and it's an amazing feeling.
3. Carpet: Taiwan is too humid to maintain carpet except in hotels and really rich/fancy places so I seriously have not felt carpet under my bare feet in a long time.
4. American mosquitoes, cockroaches, and other crawly things: Bring it. They got nothing on Taiwan mosquitoes, cockroaches, etc.
5. Wide variety of food without the Taiwan twists: Pizza with ketchup as it's "sauce base" isn't that good, I promise you. And America just does a really good job about having a wide variety of options in terms of dishes and ethnicity that are conveniently located. Not to mention things like cheese and nuts. No, "cheddar cheese" and "American cheese" are not the same thing, and yes, goat cheese is delicious so I don't know why it isn't sold here. There's pretty much white cheese or yellow cheese (which is pretty much all just plastic style American cheese) that's sold here. If you want anything more complicated, you need to find an international import store, and it'll be expensive. Nuts- You can find almonds, but I haven't had a pecan or a walnut in almost a year.
6. American exercise classes: The classes here have been great (even though they are conducted in Chinese, I can still follow along alright), but I like a really pumped up/high energy type class, and the Chinese don't really make excited expressions (cheering, etc) when they are working out. If you've ever taken one of my gym classes you'll know what I'm talking about.
Top 10 Things I'm Super Looking Forward to About Going Back to the States (in no particular order)
1. Chipotle: This really needs no explanation.
2. My squishy comfortable mattress: I've gotten used to my harder mattress here in Taiwan, but the few times I've slept in a hotel with a super soft mattress I feel like I'm sleeping on a big marshmallow, and it's an amazing feeling.
3. Carpet: Taiwan is too humid to maintain carpet except in hotels and really rich/fancy places so I seriously have not felt carpet under my bare feet in a long time.
4. American mosquitoes, cockroaches, and other crawly things: Bring it. They got nothing on Taiwan mosquitoes, cockroaches, etc.
5. Wide variety of food without the Taiwan twists: Pizza with ketchup as it's "sauce base" isn't that good, I promise you. And America just does a really good job about having a wide variety of options in terms of dishes and ethnicity that are conveniently located. Not to mention things like cheese and nuts. No, "cheddar cheese" and "American cheese" are not the same thing, and yes, goat cheese is delicious so I don't know why it isn't sold here. There's pretty much white cheese or yellow cheese (which is pretty much all just plastic style American cheese) that's sold here. If you want anything more complicated, you need to find an international import store, and it'll be expensive. Nuts- You can find almonds, but I haven't had a pecan or a walnut in almost a year.
6. American exercise classes: The classes here have been great (even though they are conducted in Chinese, I can still follow along alright), but I like a really pumped up/high energy type class, and the Chinese don't really make excited expressions (cheering, etc) when they are working out. If you've ever taken one of my gym classes you'll know what I'm talking about.
7. Cars: Seriously scooters are arguably one of the most dangerous inventions ever designed, and I really miss being able to drive myself places. The bus system is fine, but there's something I really miss about singing along to songs at the top of my lungs in the privacy of my own car.
8. Air conditioning: I have air conditioning in my apartment, but...Schools in Taiwan are open to the outside.... and don't have air conditioning... humidity is at 95% or higher every day even at 8am... need I go on? Although to be fair, I've gotten used to dealing with this kind of weather, living without air conditioning, and taking advantage of the natural air/breezes. If I can keep this up a little when I go back to the States I'll probably save a ton of money on heating and cooling.
9. Knowing my and having a variety of healthy food options: I can eat vegetables all I want here, but when it comes to selecting eggs from free range chickens (if anything to support how the chickens are raised), Greek yogurt, or having a lot of options for a healthier meal... I miss that. I actually found Greek yogurt at Costco the other day, and it was such a big deal I almost cried. Mostly at how it expensive it was though. I bought it anyway :D
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0. Having a bathtub/shower that is separate from the rest of the bathroom: Many bathrooms in Taiwan are the open bathroom style where the shower head is on the wall, so when you take a shower, the whole floor (around the sink and toilet and everywhere you might potentially aim the shower head) gets wet. So you pretty much have to wear shower shoes. Not only is this really inconvenient when you need to go back into the shower after you've dried off, put on some clothes (aka socks), and walk back into the bathroom with the floor still thoroughly wet -_-... but I find it a little unsanitary. I take pretty regular showers at the gym, which has separate shower stalls and keeps my home bathroom nice and dry \^-^/, but I miss not having to hall half my beauty care products and a change of clothes to the gym almost every single day. Seriously, that stuff can get pretty heavy once it's all added up and you've got a full water bottle in there as well.
0. Having a bathtub/shower that is separate from the rest of the bathroom: Many bathrooms in Taiwan are the open bathroom style where the shower head is on the wall, so when you take a shower, the whole floor (around the sink and toilet and everywhere you might potentially aim the shower head) gets wet. So you pretty much have to wear shower shoes. Not only is this really inconvenient when you need to go back into the shower after you've dried off, put on some clothes (aka socks), and walk back into the bathroom with the floor still thoroughly wet -_-... but I find it a little unsanitary. I take pretty regular showers at the gym, which has separate shower stalls and keeps my home bathroom nice and dry \^-^/, but I miss not having to hall half my beauty care products and a change of clothes to the gym almost every single day. Seriously, that stuff can get pretty heavy once it's all added up and you've got a full water bottle in there as well.
*bonus* Having an oven again.
Top 10 Things I'm Going to Miss Like Crazy About Taiwan (in no particular order)
1. Tea shops: Yes, the tea shops aided in my gaining 5 pounds once I moved here (and which I have since gotten rid of, but still...), but when it's 90+, you're tired, you're dehydrated, have sweat coming from places you didn't know could sweat, and are just looking for a little pick-me-up, the tea shops are like a shining of beacon of light in the darkness. I will miss these sooooo much.
2. "Ice" desserts: A very common dessert/snack here is *insert flavor/fruit* Ice. Examples, Mango Ice, Taro Ice, Red Bean Ice.... It's literally your fruit/flavor layered over a bunch of shaved ice in a bowl with some sweetened condensed milk. It's refreshing, light, and delicious.
3. 7-11/Family Mart: These places are magical, and you can do anything here. They are so convenient and are great for picking up quick drinks, snacks, or supplementing your meals for the week if you just don't feel like dragging your butt to the grocery store. Not to mention food/drinks in Taiwan are super cheap, so I can buy a banana and a carton of milk for $1.50 if not less.
4. Readily available Tea Eggs: My parents gave these mixed reviews, but it seems that most foreigners here in Taiwan grow to love Tea Eggs/ 茶葉蛋. Made by soaking hard boiled eggs in a combination of tea and soy sauce for several hours, they make a great flavorful, healthy, low calorie (but still keeps you full) snack. 7-11, Family Mart, and most rest areas in tourist attractions stock these regularly, so they are super cheap and convenient snack. However, looking up the recipe online, they can take quite a long time to soak, so if I wanted one in the next 20 min or so, I would be super out of luck :(. I guess I'll just have to keep a steady supply on hand after I go back to the States.
5. Taro: I never really had heard of taro or knew what it was before moving here. It's a root that is served as a vegetable like a sweet potato in slices or is more commonly used as a dessert but adding a little bit of sugar to "mashed" taro. It's not too sweet and isn't too strong in flavor. I've really come to love it, and it's quite a common dessert flavor here. I don't know how easy it is to find in the States, but I've never really tried to find it before, so we'll see how it goes.
6. How it takes me 5 minutes to walk to 10 different restaurants and my grocery store from my apartment: Seriously, there's a mall right across the street from my apartment with Taiwan's Walmart equivalent in the basement. So not only is my grocery store super close, but there are a lot of restaurants to eat at in the mall and surrounding the mall (and a movie theatre too for that matter).
7. The Night Markets: these places are really cool, fun, and have a ton of awesome things. The shopping is super cheap and has quite a selection of accessories (from hats to jewelry to bags to glasses) and food for sale, and is just a fun place if you wanna get a variety of unhealthy yet oh so delicious food. Although without Night Markets in my life, I'll probably be way healthier.
8. The cheap health care: It cost me USD$1.50 to get my teeth cleaned last December, and just about any visit to a doctors office is only about USD$5 (no matter what the problem is or what you're getting done). Traditional Chinese medicine clinics are also covered by the health insurance which is pretty cool too since it's the "alternative health care" style that some people like to use as a prevention method to illness or as opposed to just popping yourself full of pills when you're sick (I still prefer the pill method when I'm sick though, but it's there if you wanted it).
9. Using Chinese everyday: I truly enjoy studying Chinese, and I will miss being immersed in and being able to use the Chinese language every single day. However, I have also never appreciated English as much as I have after the past 10 months here.
10. The Taiwanese Fauna: Sometimes it is like you are in a movie or a completely different planet when you're in the Taiwanese wilderness. Even my school has a huge variety of flowers in different colors and sizes blooming right now... truly it's almost like it's a botanical garden just at my school alone.
Granted, I'm sure I forgot some things on both lists, but these are some of the common ones that I've been thinking about lately. Let the last month countdown begin!
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