10 Things I Miss About Home

Ireland, along with the rest of Western Europe, is obviously very developed. So it’s not like I’m here in a third world country longing for my first world pleasures. With that being said, there are bound to be differences when you’re over 3,000 miles away from the place you cal home. After spending close to two months in this beautiful country, these are a few things that I miss about home: 

1.  My mom and dad, Justin, Kelsey, Lauren, obviously.
2.  My friends – the casual conversation, laughing over ridiculous, absurd things and fun nights out.
3.  Brewed Coffee! Although I am adjusting to instant coffee and the French Press.
4. AUTUMN. There’s nothing like Irelands rainy, mild climate to make you appreciate SEASONS and beautiful upstate New York.
5. Pumpkin Spice Everything. They don’t even know what pumpkin spice IS out here. Come on now…
6. The US Measurement System. Cooking/Baking gets a little tricky when you’re guesstimating the ENTIRE recipe.
7. Scooter (my car). Not the actual physical car itself, but the freedom to go places when I want.
8.  Having my own apartment. Sometimes it’s just nice to walk around in your underwear.
9.  My Wardrobe. Now this is definitely a “first world problem” but mixing and matching three pairs of pants, four tops and a few scarves gets kind of boring.
10. Income. Yeah just that small thing that keeps the world going. Although, if it were possible, I would choose travel over income any day.

Of course in the big picture these things are very small. If I were in a third world country I’d have much more to write about. But being away from home definitely makes you realize the small, everyday things that we take for granted.

While on the topic of missing things, it’s appropriate to bring up a topic that almost every long term traveler deals with – homesickness. I remember when I was a kid I would beg my parents to let me go to a sleepover only to call them in the middle of the night because I wanted to come home. As I was planning my trip this is one thing that I feared – finding myself alone in a foreign city wanting nothing more than home and the familiarity that comes along with it. Fortunately for me (knock on wood!), I am still waiting for these feelings to surface. Not to say there aren’t days when you miss the things that I listed above but overall I think I am the happiest I have ever been. I consider myself fortunate to be living a real-life adventure - waking up every day 3,000 miles away from my home never knowing exactly what the day will bring. Right now, familiarity is the farthest thing from my mind =)

In other news Jack, the family dog, was hit by a car last night. The McCoy’s got Jack over the summer after their beloved cocker spaniel passed away. They went on a mission to find a dog that looked just like Digger and found Jack. We think he comes from an abusive owner because he is absolutely petrified of humans. We have all tried to build trust with him but he just runs away. Poor guy. He is still at the vet but they think he is going to be okay!

I’m catching the first bus to Dublin tomorrow morning to meet my friend Brittany who is visiting from home. Lots of pictures and stories to come. I Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend =)