Things I Do and Don't Miss, Will and Won't Miss

Well, this is it.  It's my last night in Finland.  I still have several backdated posts to catch up on, particularly the one about last night's Ewing Oil-themed farewell party.  (!)  But for now, I'm going to post a list that I've been cooking since I arrived here one year ago.  My list of the things I miss about home, and the things I will miss about here.


Things I miss about the USA:

• tumble dryers
• my iPhone
• cheddar cheese (or any orange cheese)
  
• cornbread
• Sonic Drive-In
  
• pho
• Netflix
• attentive customer service
• playing tennis
• 9 months of sunshine (Texas only, does not apply to Seattle)
  

Things I don't miss about the USA:

• people wearing flip flops and sandals year round
  
• rain (Seattle only, does not apply to Texas)
  
• waiting for buses outside in the stupid rain
  
• cockroaches, rats, and other vermin
  
• tipping
• flakey people
  

Things I will miss about Finland:

• people always saying what they mean, meaning what they say, and always being on time and well-organized
• saunas
• kitchen shelves above sink that double as a dish drying rack
• public transit efficiency
• excellent tap water
• proximity to continental Europe
• garbage service (especially biojäte)
• forest activities (lake swimming, mushroom picking, etc.)
  
• Spotify

Things I won't miss about Finland:

• mandatory coat check with fees
• snow, ice, cold, bronchitis
• spiral staircases
• bureaucracy
• Jonathan from Spotify

There is something missing about what I miss about each place.  The USA one lacks a list of all my friends and family who I can't wait to get back to.  And the Finnish one is missing the list of all my friends (and defacto family) that I am devastated to leave.  I won't list all your names here, because you know who you are.

There have been many buckets of tears this week.  I'm heartbroken to leave.  But if my biggest problem is that I have too many friends and too many places to call home, I'm a very very very lucky girl.  Thank you Finland (and all your inhabitants) for the best year of my life.