The list.

I got to Skype Collette, Gideon, Nick and my mom all in a couple hours the other day. The day before, I saw Papa Moke and my dad! I even got to Skype Alysha yesterday! I was overjoyed! I was impressed by technology yet again! Until today. I tried to Skype Papa Bob and Grandma Bon. The visual signal was on point. But I couldn't hear them! :( I hope it was just a minor issue that can be resolved before next time, but I was so bummed. At least I got to see them. I sure love and miss you, Papa and Grandma!

It's funny, I haven't felt homesick at all the entire past semester. I was rolling right along when some of the people I live with were getting the blues for their family and friends. Don't get me wrong, I think about my family and friends every second of every day and I DO miss them; just not in a homesick sort of way. Even the holidays didn't get to me too much. The only time I was really aching for a hug was the night of Christmas Eve. I think I have it figured out--it didn't FEEL like the holidays here. Everything is just so different from home. And then, when it was the actual day of Christmas and New Years, I was traveling all over Europe and didn't have TIME to miss home.

But the other day, Brandon and I went shopping during the "Rebajas" (or, "sales"). The day after Tres Reyes Magos is a huge sale day in Spain. It's like Black Friday, but even crazier because they don't have a day of sales BEFORE Christmas to curb the rush afterwards. It was chaotic, crowded, annoying, and clothes flew everywhere, but it was somehow ... fun. And it felt like home. It felt like the day after Christmas when Collette, Nick, James and I used to fight the crowds for the H&M or Urban sale. I missed home. Well, not the crazy stores, but the people--my people.

I started to feel a bit down. As usual, I'd rather laugh at myself than pity myself. So rather than missing the living crap out of my family and friends, I made a list. The following is a list of THINGS that I miss from home. I will concentrate on missing the stupid material things I took for granted when I had them, rather than getting down on missing my family and friends when I can Skype them to get recharged anyway.

The list of non-people that Laura misses that are impossible to find or recreate in Spain:

BURRITOS
Mexican food in general
Anything spicy
Genuine chocolate chip cookies (or just vanilla extract would be nice)
My car, Dot
Singing in Dot and exploring new music on my commute
San Francisco MUNI (and fairly prompt and familiar public transportation in general)
Making or earning money, not just spending it
In N Out
Toilet seat covers in public bathrooms
Toilet paper in public bathrooms
Soap in public bathrooms
Japanese food
Being able to bake whenever I want (and having all of the proper ingredients)
Collette's dogs
Ladda's dogs
Coffee Bean's Tea Lattes
The English measuring system (for my own convenience, but I am becoming BOMB at metric)
Neutrogena face cleanser


The truth is, I can find ten things I love about this country for each one of those stupid listed items. But the moral of the story is: SAVOR THEM ALL YOU LUCKY DUCKS 'CAUSE YOU MISS BEAN, RICE AND CHEESE BURRITOS WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THEM.