Thursday Thirteen

29Jun06

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Thirteen Things I’m going to miss about the USA
1. The beauty of a fresh snowfall. While I may hate the cold and the brown slushy mess that snow turns into, there is hardly anything more beautiful than the sun glinting off a freshly fallen snow or illuminating the icicles hanging from the trees.
2. The availability of goods. I love shopping on the Internet and getting my items in 2 or 3 days. I do not relish the idea of waiting 2 weeks AND paying duties on all incoming items.
3. The smell of springtime. If you’ve never experienced it, there’s no way to describe it, but you can literally smell the world coming back to life. It is incredible.
4. American efficiency. While this is actually one of the reasons Costa Rica is attractive to me (because it is NOT all about work, work, work!), I get the impression that, after waiting in line for 2 hours at the bank, I might miss certain aspects of life and business in the USA.
5. Blending in. Sometimes it’s nice to be just another anonymous face in the crowd, but the second I open my mouth in Costa Rica, I will be anonymous no more… an accent is an impossible thing to hide.
6. The huge selection of English-language books. It will be awhile before I can sit down and comfortably read a book in Spanish without a dictionary by my side… and I don’t doubt that I will miss the mindless escape that reading in my own mother tongue can bring me.
7. American food. While I love tico food, I know that I will also miss the familiar tastes and smells of American cooking. Yes, I realize I can do it myself (and I will), but it will not be the same.
8. Football. I’m not a huge fan, but I am an American. I won’t be here for Superbowl Sunday ‘07, and I dare say I’m going to miss not having beer, pretzels, and screaming men surrounding me while we stare at a TV with huge, muddy men slamming into each other.
9. The diversity that is America. I love looking around and seeing people from all places, cultures, and walks of life. For all the bad that America may be, we are also the Melting Pot, and I love a good fondue. ;-)
10. Our basic principles: freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom to do what we choose. These are what make me proud to be an American, and I will miss not being here to participate.
11. The beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Seriously, the area I live in is stunningly gorgeous.
12. My family. I live within 5 minutes of my parents and grandparents. Saying goodbye is going to be very rough.
13. My friends. The toughest things is going to be the inability to jump in the car or on a plane to go see them. But hey, having to visit me in Costa Rica isn’t such a bad thing! :P

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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9 Responses to “Thursday Thirteen”  

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  1. Gravatar Icon 1 Cheeky on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    I am new to your blog - why are you leaving? Will you be able to return soon? Good luck on your new adventure

  2. Gravatar Icon 2 Carmen on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    Yep, you don\’t know what you got til it\’s gone. :) But think of all the good things about Costa Rica. :) (No snow, it\’s bad, but good, too.)

  3. Gravatar Icon 3 Jane on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    WOW, it sounds like you are embarking on quite an adventure. I don’t know why you are going to Costa Rica but I hope you have a wonderful experience. My hubby has visited there and says it is beautiful.
    I will be checking back in to see what you are up to.
    My T13 is up. 8)

  4. Gravatar Icon 4 Mar on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    You know, you can\’t have your cake and eat it too (^) You\’ll love your new, different experience. The things/people you might miss while abroad will always be there for you. Happy TT 8) mine is up (f)

  5. Gravatar Icon 5 mominprogress on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    Sound like an adventure and hopefully you won’t get too homesick. New to your blog so I’ll have to do some back-reading to find out the whole scoop.
    My T13 is up too.

  6. Gravatar Icon 6 Karri on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    I love the first snow of the season, it’s so pure and delicate looking. :)

  7. Gravatar Icon 7 EmilyRoseJewel on Jun 29th, 2006 said:

    I bet it is so tough living so, so far away from family and friends. Why are you in Costa Rica? I spent a month in Honduras by the way on a mission trip. I loved it, but was happy to be home when I got back. Not having the stores and ease of everyday life, where I stayed we had no hot water, no washer and dryer, etc. I loved the food, but craved good ole country cooking. I did have Ruby Tuesday’s and MacDonalds, but usually they tasted a little different. Church’s Chicken too. I would miss Auburn Football and some of my favorite TV shows too. I am also somewhat conversational in Spanish. I love the language! Thanks for visiting my TT!

  8. Gravatar Icon 8 Enrique on Jun 30th, 2006 said:

    Well, looking at the bright side of your living in Costa Rica, you will discover real football. For me (Madrid, Spain) you, the people from the States, donīt play football. You play a quicker version of rugby.

    Of course you will miss “American” facilities, as you have mentioned, but you will discover another “American” ones. From Europe you are all american, someone from the north (USA and of course CANAD), some from Central America -where you are going- and some from the south -from where they are coming now to work in Spain in “hordes” (I donīt prentend to be peyorative. I mean there are a lot of people from Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, …, coming here to work to save some money and return home with better possibilities of having a good future in their own conutries.

    So, itīs curious you, from the States are calling yourshelves “Americans”. But, as far as I know from an Ecuatorian girl taking care of my twins last year, at least in South America -I think in Central America is the same- they know you as “the Americans”. This means your influence machinery works fine. Every people dream abot “the American way of life”. Thatīs what you, Erin, are leaving back, but, for sure, you will learn a lot about our “latin” way of leaving.

    May be, latins seem to bo not so efficient workers but that is only a topic, an urban leyend.

    When you miss your relatives you can always “skype” or “jajah” them. And you can taka a plane to be hug them for a while.

    ĄAnimo, valiente, que te lo vas a pasar en grande!

  9. Gravatar Icon 9 PixiePincessMom on Jun 30th, 2006 said:

    I agree, sounds like a neat adventure to ge sure. I hope you won’t be out of the States for too long. :) Safe journey!

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I'm Erin, a twenty-something freelance writer living in Costa Rica and trying to make sense of this crazy thing called life.

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erin [at] gringuitica [dot] com

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