The things I miss about home:
1. The dogs. Though I get to pet dogs a lot, life without Dexter and Punky is definitely not the same as life with them. It's nice that Deborah sends updates a lot, otherwise I'd really be a basket-case.
That reminds me, though, that I have made a friend: the neighbors on the first floor (that's the first above street level) have a little tiger-striped cat named Misha, and she gets let out into the stairwell to explore at regular intervals. Since that's where I go type when I'm trying to be quiet, we've become pals, and now she's in the habit of coming up to see if I'm working there (as I have gotten into the habit of propping the door a little open if I think she might come around).2. Mom and Dad. Though I don't like to rank them against the dogs, the major difference is that I communicate with my parents at regular intervals, where the dogs haven't yet learned to send e-mail.
3. My broadband internet connection. It's HARD to have to go to an internet café a quarter-mile away every time you need to get connected.
4. My bari sax. I've got that rented tenor, and it helps, but it's not a particularly good one-it needs adjusting and misses low notes-and I'm not really a tenor player.
5. Bands. Gosh, I had no idea how much I'd miss playing. For me, music is most fun as a collaborative thing, and it's bumming me out in no small way when I realize it could be next fall before I'm able to get worked back in to any of the groups I've played with. Argh again.
7. Hot showers. Going on trips and staying in hotels really underscores how it positively sucks to be freezing as you shower in the mornings. 'Nuff said.
8. Work time. Although I've been doing my best to get stuff accomplished, it's hard when the necessities of life (cooking, laundry, etc.) take up a lot more time, and then you're without a stable base of operations the rest of it. It's great to travel, but it sure plays hell with getting projects done.
Now that those are out of the way, here's a list of
Things I'm gonna miss when I get home:
1. Not having to drive every day. It's weird-I thought I would have more of a problem with this, but as it turns out, I'm not missing $3.00 a gallon gas or the hassle of having to wash, park, and otherwise deal with cars. I also think that we Americans need to start taking smaller cars a lot more seriously. Some of these little two-seaters have plenty of pep and get something on the order of 50mpg. Now, why can't we figure out how to make something like this available at home?
2. Regular opportunities to work on a second language. I realize I can take lessons at home and make progress, but there's nothing better than being able to practice every day.
3. The food in Italy. It's AWESOME. Don't know how else to describe it.
4. Italian wine. I arrived in Italy not liking wine of any kind, and it only took about a week to clear up that problem. Gosh, I hope the stuff isn't too expensive back home.
5. Gelato de Neri. If this were a normal ice cream shop, I'd lump it in with food, but this place deserves its own mention. If there were a way to transport the whole place back to Burbank I would.
6. The dog-friendly culture in Italy. People who allow dogs into nearly all public places (including shops and on buses) just seem... I dunno... more civilized.
7. The pace of life in Florence. That's not to imply that Italians are lazy-in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It just doesn't appear that they share America's tendency to live life at an impossible, break-neck speed.
8. Live performances of classical music by world-class ensembles. They're just a short walk and a few euros away here, and we've seen some wonderful stuff.
9. Being in a culture where I don't have to feel like a moral failure because I can't function before 9am. The typical workday here is from 9am-1pm, and then from 3pm-7pm. Gets people home for lunch, too, which has to be good for families.
Anyhow, those are my lists for today. I'm sure they'll change over the next six or so weeks, so I'll probably revisit the topic.
Cheers,
Leanne
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