Things that I Miss

Warning: this post might sound whiny and shallow.

I miss bookstores. The big, awful chain ones, like Barnes and Nobles. I miss the smell when you walk in of fresh pages and ink and uncracked book spines. I miss the colorful displays of new fiction novels, the aisle of "NY Times Bestsellers," the blue carpet, the fluorescent lighting, the central heating, the cliche' Starbucks coffee shop in the corner with overpriced lattes and people typing on laptops.

I miss my car; having access to transportation any time of day, any day of the week. I miss the independence of it, the freedom of not depending upon any other person, or bus schedule, or weather (walking is my number one way of getting around here, so when it rains, it changes my entire day's plans).

I miss having a mailbox just outside my door, and an address where things can be delivered to - an address that doesn't cause taxi drivers to raise their eyebrows in dismay, an address that Pizza Hut recognizes and that the pet store will agree to deliver my 33lb bag of dog food to (again, walking as primary mode of transport). I miss the convenience of Amazon online two-day delivery, of having access to almost any product I can think of.

I miss my pots and pans and kitchen appliances. I've been living on my own/with room mates for the last 5 years, and so have accumulated a full kitchen's worth of cookware, which is now boxed up in a storage unit back home. I used to cook 90% of my meals, and would spend the weekend preparing and cooking for the week ahead. I now feel like I'm back in undergrad, living with one pot and one skillet, resorting to pasta and scrambled eggs as daily food staples.

I miss my electric blanket - how I could turn it on 10 minutes before bed and then climb into pre-warmed sheets. I now sleep with a hot water bottle every night instead to try and thaw out the covers.

I miss Valentines Day candy that would normally be all over the grocery stores by now in obnoxious pink and red. No Russel Stovers or heart-shaped candies here though - it isn't a holiday celebrated in Israel.

I miss Mardi Gras decorations and weekend parades and Shrove Tuesday pancake suppers. I miss king cake and Lenten bible studies and helping prepare for Ash Wednesday services.

I miss clothes dryers and dish washers and full-sized ovens with temperatures written in Fahrenheit. I miss 1/2 cup and 1/3 cup and whole cup measuring cups, and not having to convert things from mL and grams.

I miss the U.S., and all the random little things that made life convenient and easy and comfortable there.

As the warning said, this post is most definitely whiny, and also paints me as awfully shallow and high-maintenance. But I guess we all get to complain sometimes.

On the other hand:

I went with a friend to a beautiful Shabbat service Friday night, and was excited to be able to read the Hebrew in the prayer book well enough to sing along.

I took Ellie to the dog park today and she made friends with a couple of other high-energy puppies. The playing wore her out, and so she's been sleeping next to me on the couch for the last several hours.

I helped lead the communion service at the Church of Scotland this morning in Jerusalem to a congregation of locals and internationals from Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and the U.S.

I have made wonderful friends here, one of which I got to experience snow with the other day in Bethlehem. (At one point you will hear her say, "nobody loves us!" This was because we were attempting to hitch hike since our bus never came. Eventually a nice Jewish woman living in the next door settlement stopped and gave us a ride).

So, really. I can't complain. Or, well, I can. But I shouldn't.