I'm headed back to the US soon to attend my friend Megan's wedding in Tampa, and I'm getting very excited about it. But not just for the 80 degree weather, the wedding, and seeing all my friends (and a bunch of the guys I went to Ireland with a couple years ago), but also because I haven't set foot in the US since December 2010. That's 16 months ago! I think the US will soon dis-own me. Is that possible? So I started thinking about what I am looking forward to the most, and what I am looking forward to the not-most. In no particular order, here's my list.
What I'm looking forward to the most (besides people obvi):
Free water in restaurants (it's such a rip off here!)
Mexican food and free chips and salsa (something between taco bell and chevy's)
Easy access to recycling (here, I have to take stuff down to the bin by the tram station and attempt to translate the words on which items go in which bin)
American clothing/shoe sizes (I haven't bought any clothes or shoes here because I'm intimidated by the sizes and the fact I have to get all pants tailored here - I guess I have shorter legs than the average Pole)
Service with a smile (does that still exist?)
Bacon (and American breakfast in general)
Frozen yogurt (there used to be a fro-yo shop near my apartment in Warsaw that opened in Winter 2011. Then it closed, also in Winter 2011...hmmm, I wonder why. I guess they didn't study the seasonality of the fro-yo business when the Winter is -30 degrees)
Baseball season (even the Mariners)
Rollercoasters (Busch Gardens maybe?)
Being able to talk to deli counter ladies (see: Service with a smile)
Free refills on soft drinks (and fountain sodas!!!)
English words on labels (so I can tell, among other things, which allergy medicine is non-drowsy, unlike when I had to buy it here, and almost fell asleep at work)
Clothes drying (I can't wait to dive into a pile of fresh-out-the-dryer sheets and towels)
DVR and American commercials (kind of an oxymoron)
Target, Trader Joe's, and Costco free samples (who wants to take me?)
Haas Avocados (the avos here suck)
A larger variety of dining options (even though I could eat pierogi every day)
Not having to listen to techno music everywhere I go (hasn't it gone out of style yet?)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it'd be nice to know)
What I'm not looking forward to (besides people):
Sales tax on top of sticker prices (just hide it from me and add it to the price, please)
15-20% tipping (is the service with a smile really worth it?)
Driving (I've been forced to take night trains in Russia more times in the last 16 months than I've had to drive a car)
Inconvenient public transportation and expensive taxis (a $10 taxi ride is considered expensive in Warsaw)
Getting "politely forced out" of restaurants after finishing a meal when the waiter brings the check the second you take your last bite (here, you can sit there until you're hungry again if you want to)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it's nice to not know)
I'm really curious as to what else will make this list after I'm there for a week. Part of me thinks I will miss the US even more than I currently think I will...but part of me thinks I'll notice some annoying things that didn't bother me before, and it will just make me want to stay in Poland even longer. We'll see how it goes!
What I'm looking forward to the most (besides people obvi):
Free water in restaurants (it's such a rip off here!)
Mexican food and free chips and salsa (something between taco bell and chevy's)
Easy access to recycling (here, I have to take stuff down to the bin by the tram station and attempt to translate the words on which items go in which bin)
American clothing/shoe sizes (I haven't bought any clothes or shoes here because I'm intimidated by the sizes and the fact I have to get all pants tailored here - I guess I have shorter legs than the average Pole)
Service with a smile (does that still exist?)
Bacon (and American breakfast in general)
Frozen yogurt (there used to be a fro-yo shop near my apartment in Warsaw that opened in Winter 2011. Then it closed, also in Winter 2011...hmmm, I wonder why. I guess they didn't study the seasonality of the fro-yo business when the Winter is -30 degrees)
Baseball season (even the Mariners)
Rollercoasters (Busch Gardens maybe?)
Being able to talk to deli counter ladies (see: Service with a smile)
Free refills on soft drinks (and fountain sodas!!!)
English words on labels (so I can tell, among other things, which allergy medicine is non-drowsy, unlike when I had to buy it here, and almost fell asleep at work)
Clothes drying (I can't wait to dive into a pile of fresh-out-the-dryer sheets and towels)
DVR and American commercials (kind of an oxymoron)
Target, Trader Joe's, and Costco free samples (who wants to take me?)
Haas Avocados (the avos here suck)
A larger variety of dining options (even though I could eat pierogi every day)
Not having to listen to techno music everywhere I go (hasn't it gone out of style yet?)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it'd be nice to know)
What I'm not looking forward to (besides people):
Sales tax on top of sticker prices (just hide it from me and add it to the price, please)
15-20% tipping (is the service with a smile really worth it?)
Driving (I've been forced to take night trains in Russia more times in the last 16 months than I've had to drive a car)
Inconvenient public transportation and expensive taxis (a $10 taxi ride is considered expensive in Warsaw)
Getting "politely forced out" of restaurants after finishing a meal when the waiter brings the check the second you take your last bite (here, you can sit there until you're hungry again if you want to)
Understanding everything that people are saying around me (it's nice to not know)
I'm really curious as to what else will make this list after I'm there for a week. Part of me thinks I will miss the US even more than I currently think I will...but part of me thinks I'll notice some annoying things that didn't bother me before, and it will just make me want to stay in Poland even longer. We'll see how it goes!
