i miss....

there are many things that I miss from portland starting with ranch dressing and double stuffed oreo. yes we do have ranch at some (very few) american restaurant chains (Fuddrukers) and we even have oreos but they just aren’t the same. they don’t taste the same. and as far as oreos go well, nothing compares to double stuffed. i miss p.f. changs and i miss the spaghetti factory oooh and olive garden…. yummm. we did finally get ramano’s macaroni grill but that was never my favorite but at least we’re getting closer.

i miss understanding what people are saying. most of the people here speak english but everyone (at least to me) has an accent. it’s hard enough to understand one accent but to constantly have to re-acclimate your self to new accents is exhausting. not to mention that even when you do understand someone just fine they often have expressions that you have no idea what they mean.... now this i realize is common in the states when you go from region to region. in fact just the other day my co-workers and i were talking about just this, and we were testing our expressions out on each other (“you look smart today” “let’s cross that bridge when we get to it” etc etc) well my co-workers (from the uk) asked me if i had some expression in the states… (sorry can’t remember the exact words) well i said “i have heard of it nobody really says it”
my other co-worker (third one) who lived in FL for a few years said “no, we say it all the time!”
i tried and tired to explain how big the US is and mind you she lived there! but she couldn’t conceive that maybe there were different expressions used in different areas. so back to my point i suppose this is a relevant problem for the states as well.

lets see… i miss normal driving where you aren’t on RED ALERT at all times. so far everything has gone well for me here, but you have to be a really defensive driver because everyone else is so aggressive! you can’t move out of the way fast enough for them… never mind that there is a car next to you that you would smash into! so they drive on the LEFT hand shoulder to go around. and they drive at like 180kph (100mph = 160kph) i miss normal cops that would pull you over for this even if you have a low number license plate, which is a sign that you have money to by a license plate, like $300,000, who buys a car plate for $300,000?

i miss the rain. it is so dusty and hot and humid right now that it’s ridiculous… i miss the rain that cleans everything and takes the dust away! i use my windshield wipers for wiping away the sand more than anything. ha! like it ever rains here. oh there is that one day in november where it will rain… and then it’s like that inch and a half of snow in portland. it brings the whole city to its knees with car accidents everywhere and flooded roads you can’t drive on.

i really miss washington square. my mall. that i know. and everyone there knows what i’m asking for when i ask for it. no blank stares or being pointed to the wrong store because they really have no idea what you are asking for. in fact in WS i don’t even have to ask… i already know where everything is! also it’s a manageable size. yes at first having one of the biggest malls (and soon the THE biggest mall) in the world is great. but then you get tired of walking back and forth when you forget something. our mall is so big it has a food court on each end! wanna know why?!? because when you eat at one you’re hungry again by the time to walk to the other one. it’s too much choice, you are never sure if you got a good deal because there are 11 other stores selling the same thing but you can’t keep comparing prices! it would take you all day! i know! who thought i would complain about a mall ever!?! but i guess even i have my limits…

most of all i miss my family and being able to call them and see them whenever i want. especially call. not just because of the cost but because of the time difference too! we’re all only awake at the same time for like 2 hrs in the morning (my morning) and 3 hrs in the evening. and if i don’t have any credit on my phone (like now) than it doesn’t matter anyways cause i can’t make a call again until i stop by the petrol (yes I know! we call gas stations petrol stations oh and bathrooms are called toilets, weird) station to buy a new phone card.

i miss you all and love you!