10 Things I’ve Missed About America
Okay, so I wrote about my top 10 things I’ll miss about Korea. What a lovely reflection of our three-year tour. It’s only fair that I write about the 10 things I’ve missed about America, in no particular order. Why 10? Because I don’t have the time to write a top 100 list right now.
1. 110-volt outlets.
Let’s talk about 110v really quickly, shall we? American electronics are 110v. So, when we came to Korea, the land of 220v, we had to use a transformer for everything. All. The. Things. Refrigerator (because it was Army-issued), coffee maker, toaster, washer and dryer (also Army-issued), my hair dryer… Everything required a transformer. I’m thrilled to report that everything electronic plugs right into the walls again, and it feels good. (My son, however, is still asking where the transformers are.)
2. Walmart, Target, and Wegmans.
Because the USAG-Yongsan PX is a joke. Seriously. It was a glorified shoppette. And the commissary? Well, let’s just say, after three years, I never grew accustomed to the moldy produce. Thank you, America, for one-stop shopping.
3. Driving.
There is something to be said for driving down an open road, with the windows down, singing along with whatever is on the radio. I couldn’t do that in Korea, because I was too busy white-knuckling it to post, hoping that I didn’t kill anyone and no one killed me.
Oh, and being in a place that actually follows traffic laws is really, very nice.
4. Blue skies.
The pollution—so-called Yellow Dust—in Korea is awful. Blue skies weren’t easy to come by, and it starts to wear on you after a while.
Oh, and the air smells better in America.
5. English.
I’ll tell you what, I tried very hard to learn Korean. I promise, I did. I learned enough to get by on the economy, but I can’t tell you what the characters represent or even understand anything being spoken to me. But, I knew my address, how to give directions back to our apartment, and how to ask how much something cost. Essentially, I knew how to say the important stuff. It’s good to be in a country where (most of) the people speak the same language as you. Gamsahaminda.
6. American culture, holidays, and pride.
When I was coming up with this list with my husband, he said, “American culture.” I replied, “America has culture?” Yeah. We do. We take pride in being American. We do things big. We celebrate the hell out of Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. When we party, we party hard. The sense of pride we Americans have is unparalleled. That’s our culture.
7. Food.
Yes, I loved Korean food, but let me tell you something, not a whole lot beats a Five Guys’ cheeseburger, or Olive Garden, or Steak ‘n Shake, or Carrabba’s, or Chipotle, or…
8. Access to cable television.
I am so thankful to not have to watch Netflix or Hulu or download episodes of anything off the internet. I watched everythin—every. thing—on Netflix and Hulu, and if I had to do that much longer, there would be a padded cell in my future. I love TV that much.
Five hundred cable channels? Hold my calls. I’m going to be busy for the next year.
9. A backyard and a house.
In Korea, we lived on the 15th floor of a high rise, and apartment living is just not for this family. We missed having a backyard. We missed being in a house and not worrying about our son jumping around and disturbing the neighbors. America has so much space, and there is something to be said for space.
10. Walking the dog.
If you have live in Korea and have a dog that weighs more than ten pounds, you know the hell that involved in having a dog that was more than ten pounds.
Here’s a comparison for you.
Walking the dog in Korea: People yelled at me for letting my 35-pound Korean breed pup sniff their feet. People screamed when they went to get on the elevator and saw our pup, who, by the way, is scared of his own shadow. People crossed the street to avoid him, as if he were foaming at the mouth, bearing his teeth at them.
Walking the dog in America: People. Keep. On. Walking.
And sometimes?
They smile.
AMERICA!
