No, it’s not sports. It’s my version of what I missed and didn’t
miss while abroad. I’ll try to make my rambling short & sweet (sarcastic
comments included!).
What I missed:
1. Public
restrooms: If you’re going out and about in town, you better have
change because they do have public pay toilettes, but the majority of stores
don’t have one. Some places, like Carcassone, have public toilets, but no T.P.
2.
Toilet
seats: If you are going on a road trip and you stop at an “Aire”
(The US equivalent would be a truck stop), Ladies, get ready to squat. No
toilet seats! Or even better you can use the “toilette turque.” Go ahead and Google
it….
3.
Decent TP…. Most
homes I visited had decent toilet paper, but the hotel I was in had really terrible
paper….
4.
Air
Conditioning or Refrigerated Air… I’m a Texan. I expect when it’s
95°F that the
inside of a building should be 72… just saying…. Our hotel had A/C but it was
not like it’s American equivalent.
5.
Midol…I forgot
to pack mine. Went to the Pharmacy and tried to explain what I was lookin g for
and they tried to give me ibuprofen. So not the same thing.
6.
Stores that
were open after 8pm…. Or on Sunday… or on Monday.
7. Beef Jerky
8.
Corn Nuts…I didn’t eat any
corn this time, but if I had, I would have added decent corn. The corn in the
US is much more flavorful & sweet than what’s available in France.
9.
Giant cups of coffee. I did
run across a Starbucks, but I was unwilling to part with 5€ for a drink. That’s
insane.
10. Iced Tea… Although, they do have Nestea flavored iced tea in a can… Not
exactly the same… but a peach tea will do in a pinch. I used to miss big cups
of ice, but I guess I’m getting used to being asked if I want “Un ou deux glaçons?” (1 or 2 ice cubes).
11. My iPhone… I don’t have service in France. Thank you, Verizon. But I was
able to link in on the Wi-Fi from my hotel. Which I could add that I miss having
multiple free, public Wi-Fi hotspots to choose from.
What I appreciated:
1.
The freshness of food.
2.
That when I walk into a store, I’m greeted by
someone who works there.
3.
Markets
4.
The kindness of my new family.
5. Well-behaved children, and parents who weren't afraid to discipline when needed.
What I didn’t Miss:
1.
Fake cheese… you know what I’m talking about that
plastic-like mass of orange goo that is passed off as “cheddar sauce”. We had a
layover in DC and I ordered an egg & cheese breakfast sandwich. Took a big
bite and “WELCOME TO AMERICA”… I got a mouthful of nasty.
2.
Fake coffee creamer. (See a pattern here?)… our plane from DC to Texas was with Delta.
Asked for a coffee (Because I had missed
it so…) and I was given “dairy fresh” brand non-dairy creamer… wtff? I’m
going to blame jetlag on my forgetfulness to ask if the cheese and creamer were
real….In France, I didn’t have to ask.
3.
My computer… I left it at home! It was nice to be
partially unplugged for a while.
4.
Work… duh!
OK looking forward to your comments and questions. If you don’t
have a blogger account, you can leave me comments on my facebook link to this
post.
<3