Things I Will (Do) Miss Two Years Later

Two years ago I wrote a blog discussing the things I would miss most about the United States.  I promised myself I wouldn't read it for two years, and then see if I agreed with it after that.  Well, it has been two years, and I have reread the post I wrote. Below, I've kept my original thoughts and placed my current thoughts in italics.  It has been an interesting two years!

1. Talking to my Dad – I consider my Dad one of my best friends. It will be hard to not be able to pick up the phone and call whenever I want.  (I do miss my Dad a lot, but we have cell phones down here, and I use my limited minutes to call my Dad once a week.  This is not nearly enough, but it's something.)

2. Chinese buffets – I am guessing that there are no Chinese buffets in Guatemala. At least, not like we have here.  (There are no Chinese Buffets that I have found.  Though I miss them, my taste buds and the way I eat have changed.  Buffets are now a special treat we get when we are home, rather then a once a month feast, and I am good with that.)

3. English – I think our language it is very nice, I will miss hearing it every day.  More than missing the sound of English is speaking it.  (My Spanish has picked up, but sometimes I make mistakes or even completely misunderstand what someone says. Sometimes I don't understand something at all.  This has been my biggest challenge living down here.)

4. Seasons – I don’t think I’ll miss winter, but I will miss the rest that comes when we switch from summer to fall. I think I will miss that.  (I do miss it a little, especially when people put up fall pictures, but I don't miss it that much.)

5. Changing hours – In Guatemala there is pretty much a 12 hour day every day of the year. The long summers days turning to short fall days, and then getting longer again - I will miss that.    (This is one I thought would be difficult, but it has not been at all.  The regularity of the hours is quite nice.  When we go back to the states it is actually hard to get used to the different  times of sunset.)

6. My house – I love our current house. It is big enough. It is laid out almost perfectly. The neighbors are nice. The yard is wonderful, and I will miss our house.  (While I loved our house and community in Atlantic, the adventure of living somewhere else has more than made up for this lost feeling.  I still walk through my house here in Guatemala sometimes and  think, 'How did I get here?')

7. My job – I really like my job. And, though I will have a job down there, it will not have the same feel or regularity of my job here. It also won't be the same thing I have been doing for the last eleven years.  (This one is one I don't miss at all.  Even though I loved my job, it is fun to be doing something different.  My job here can be very difficult sometimes, but it is very rewarding and challenging in ways that are completely different, and I am enjoying the change.)

8. Tap water – Everywhere in the United States you can turn on the tap, take a big drink, and trust you will not get sick. You can’t even trust the water in the international airport in Guatemala.  (No doubt, I miss turning on the tap and getting a big drink of water.)

9. Snow – Fine I admit it, there is nothing more beautiful than newly fallen snow. Let’s never talk about it again.  (Nope, not at all.  Snow is cold. I like not worrying about the cold.)

10. Church – I have been completely blessed to have been in awesome churches my entire life.  From what I saw, the churches there are not as dynamic as the ones here. I suppose that is part of why we are going, to share what we know about church.  (Definitely miss our church.  Even though I can keep up on podcasts, there is nothing like worshiping with other like-minded believers.  Though a move back to Iowa would involve snow [see above], our church would be one thing that could draw us back.)

11. Baseball – I love going to night games, I have found almost every one of them to be a magical experience the last 10 years. (I miss them, but not as much as I thought.)

12. NASCAR – This is new - going to races is something I just started doing five years ago, and I will miss the sound of NASCAR.  (See above about baseball.)

13. Iowa farm fields – This shows my Iowa roots. I love driving by endless miles of corn fields, especially when they are still green.  (Luckily, the scenery here in Guatemala is beautiful.  Though not the same as Iowa, it has its own allure.)

14. Debit Cards Use – I know there are credit cards down there, but much of the business is cash, and I don’t normally carry cash on me. That will be a change.  (I have actually enjoyed going back to a more cash-based system.  If fact, when we were back in the states this summer I still tried to pay for most things in cash.)

15. Ease – Everything is easy in the United States. I believe life will be much more difficult down there.  (There is no doubt about it - I miss this one.  Life is easier in the United States. A friend of mine says the U.S. is Disney World compared to everywhere else in the world.  There is nothing like the ease, convenience, and abundance of the U.S.)

I guess I do miss many things about the United States. The good part, though, is that what we are doing here makes up for the things I miss.  I don't think about a lot of these that much because I am to busy doing the other things we are involved in.  Maybe someday I will return to the U.S., and at that point I will be writing a blog about the things I miss from Guatemala.  Only time will tell.