Top 10 Things I Miss About America

10.  Publix: specifically I miss Publix. I miss the ability to jump in my car and not have to drive at least 30 minutes (on a good day) in smog filled traffic, scared to death we will get in an accident only to arrive at the grocery store and not be able to find the same items I found last week then having to redo my grocery list and figure out what I can make with the items the grocery store has. I miss the AMAZING produce section at Publix and specifically milk and half and half

9.  Privacy: I miss being able to have a day or an evening in without 5 people coming and knocking on my door within a span of an hour to ask for things (usually money or food) and this being a legitimate need because there is a real possibility that their family hasn’t eaten in days. I miss windows that you can close and not begin to immediately sweat so that you can have a private conversation with your spouse without fearing that people are listening (all windows here are open to allow for ventilation). I miss the days when Matt and I wanted an evening in and we didn’t turn off all the lights and sit whispering in the dark so that people would think we are not home.

8.  Laws That Are Enforced: I could go on and on about this one. I miss getting being able to drive out on the road and not fear that there could be a riot that day because gas prices have gone up. I miss sound ordinance laws! Even as I type this a car just drove by and stopped right outside our house for quite a while that was blaring a Michael Bolton version of “Lean on Me”….by blaring I mean the car was at least 100 feet from our house and it sounded like I was playing it inside. When our cook told us she is pregnant she thought she may be fired because that kind of thing happens here. I miss laws that give women a sense of security. I miss laws that say you have to have brake lights and blinkers! I miss a country where we have law and order and it is enforced.

7.  Target: Ok I know this one is similar to Publix but all the Target fans out there know that it isn’t. I miss needing something for my house and being able to just go to Target and get it. I miss every now and again splurging on something new from Target. I miss the days when I might need a new pot, pan, dish, measuring cup…etc..and I didn’t have to plan which trip I could get it down to Haiti on and how much weight/space it would take up.

6.  Pest Control Service! I miss Bug Out! I miss not having to ask Matt to “mosquito hunt” and “tarantula hunt” every night before we go to sleep. This is because on at least 6 occasions we have had large tarantulas in our house. The mosquito hunting is not because the bites are annoying. It’s because 1 bite from a mosquito can potentially carry Chickungunya, Malaria, or Dengue Fever. I miss a house where ants are not coming out of every single hole and crevice (including electrical outlets) and I am constantly spraying vinegar and sprinkling cinnamon all over my house because I’ve read ants don’t like cinnamon.

5.  Church in English: I miss going to church every Sunday with a body of believers who speak the same language as me. I miss worshipping in a setting where I can understand what’s going on. Selfishly, I miss not having to worry about 34 kids misbehaving in a church service and constantly asking to go to the bathroom or get water.

4.  Hot Water & A Soft Mattress: I miss taking a shower after a long day with hot water and feeling like I am actually clean. I miss turning on a faucet and having hot water come out instead of having to heat a pot full of water to wash my face every morning. I miss laying down on a soft mattress and being able to put covers on myself because I am cold instead of lying in my own sweat.

3.  Teaching: I miss this time of year with a class full of kindergartners when we would be working on our Thanksgiving play together. I miss reading a good book to a class for the first time, finishing it, then having them immediately ask me to read it again. I miss watching kids grow and learn together and knowing I played a small part in it.

2.  A Sense of Normalcy and Control Over My Day: I miss waking up and knowing what the day will bring. Even though we try to get into a routine here, it never stays the same. I miss spending a Saturday at home sleeping in and baking. I miss going to a classroom everyday and knowing I will have Small Group with my friends on Monday night and youth on Wednesday night. Sometimes, I really miss my normal life

1.  I miss my Family & Friends. We are starting to make friends here but nothing compares to my friends and family back home. I miss my mornings before school with my teacher friends. I miss being able to go to my parents for dinner and spending time with my in-laws. I miss my church family and small group. I miss being able to pick up the phone and call my best-friend just to talk about my day and hers at the end of a long day. More than anything else here I miss my family and friends.

*We leave for America next week. Coming soon…..Top Ten Things I Miss About Haiti!