Friday, October 21, 2011

Pros and Cons

The most commonly asked questions that I have been asked over the past few weeks is "What do you miss?" and "What are you enjoying the most about Cairo?" I thought I would share the answer to those questions. So in usual Dana form, here is another list post.

We all know family and friends are what I miss most but it isn't the thing that I miss most. The things I miss the most are:
- Convenience (calling a friend whenever I want instead of checking schedules, getting any type of produce at any time of the year, being able to pick things up that I need {oven thermometer, ingredients, things for school, etc}, watching college football with ease)
- Live theater
- Clean air - yes, after this experience, I would classify Houston's air as clean
- Tex-Mex and barbecue
- Green spaces to enjoy being outside
- Rain (no comments, Texas friends - I literally can't remember the last time I saw rain and I hear it's nasty here)
- Organization and predictability

Things I'm enjoying:
- While there is political junk going on, everyday day life is significantly less stressful. I no longer walk around with knots in my back and always feeling like I'm dropping the ball somewhere.
- Not feeling guilty for not having something planned for every night of the week.
- Investing in people/relationships instead of programs
- Traffic is still annoying but so much better when you are a passenger instead of a driver
- Missing the political scene in the U.S.
- Trying new foods
- Being a bit more adventurous than before
- Walking places
- Laughing at myself and everyday life around me - a lot

3 comments:

andrew said...

See ... I told you you would find unexpected thigns to enjoy. As much as we enjoy the good ol' U.S.A. there are some advantages for being lsewhere in the world.

Amy said...

I'm especially glad the stress is gone! I do miss our daily phone calls, though!! :(

Mindi Tipps said...

I can imagine the convenience thing being really hard! Where do you get the things you need? Food? Clothes?