Things I Want To BRING To Abu Dhabi From Idaho (since we're stuck here for now):

I made the list of things I am going to miss, but it really only got me thinking of the things I still really miss from home. I have gotten used to NOT having my favorite things, and other things have even replaced them. But in spite of all of that, there are still things I miss terribly!

1) MY OWN CAR – Try going from driving your own car with only yourself, your music, and sometimes your sleeping infant every day… to nothing. Every time I’ve been in a car in the past year has been when someone else is driving. Now, I wasn’t one of those good “passengers” before we came here. I preferred to drive since I trusted myself the most. I’m not saying I don’t enjoy riding with Stu, I just REALLY miss my own car, on roads with sane drivers who give the little “wave” when you let them in, with my own music choices, singing at the top of my lungs with no one else to hear me. A girl can dream.

2) Frozen Food – We have frozen veggies here, but I used to get things like frozen tilapia fillets that made my life sooooo much easier. The only frozen fish I’ve found here has been with the skin and head still on. No. Thank you.

3) WINCO – I read a blog called The Grocery Cart Challenge (check it out… Gayle is A-MA-ZING!) and she lists her shopping trip finds. Every week I find myself depressed with her entry that includes her trips to Winco. I absolutely fell in love with this store. Buying in bulk, and for cheap… who can argue with that??? I would go after work on Fridays every other week and spend less than a hundred bucks on food. Now we spend OVER a hundred bucks EVERY week for less food that takes more work to prepare on my end (which is fine since I don’t work now… but I really miss my freaking Winco!)

4) Common Courtesy – I know this is not true of all of America, but in Boise, the majority of people you pass on the streets, in the stores, and on the road, are relatively happy and calm people. They will smile at you if you accidentally make eye contact, hold open a door for you, etc. Yesterday we were at Khalidiyah mall just walking around before we ate dinner at Chili’s and there was a group of teenage boys in dishdashas walking toward us. Even our teenagers, when approaching a mother and father and their child in a stroller would step to the side and allow them to pass. Instead, they walked directly at us and the boy who was in front of me squared his shoulders as I turned mine back, trying to squeeze by without crashing into him. He practically took off my right boob and hit my arm to hard that is gave me a “dead arm” for the next few hours. Punk. This is one example. I’m sick of being treated like third-class citizens just because I’m white.

5) Grass – Grass, grass everywhere! Here we have to go to a specific place for our kid to run around or for us to toss a ball around because everywhere here either has a building on it, or is just dirty, trash-filled sand. In Idaho we have to TRY to find a spot where there is no greenery. I miss that.

Stay tuned for another installment if things I want to bring here!