Five things.

Only eleven and a half more weeks to go!!  I'm officially starting to make sure we do and see everything that we wanted to while we are here in Korea. It is going to be so weird being back home.  Living here, you get so used to being an outsider...in every sense of the word.  Korean culture is so tight knit, that, when you are a foreigner, you stick out like a sore thumb--which can have its upsides and downsides.  Here are five things that I am definitely missing about home right now...

1. Food.

I'm sorry, but Korean food just doesn't cut it for me.  Some people love it, but unfortunately I am not one of them.  In Cheonan, the "western" food options are so limited that if you don't love Korean food, your only option is to cook at home.  And, even that is limited.  A lot of ingredients and spices that are staples back home are extremely hard to find here.  So, our cooking options our limited.  What do I especially miss, you ask?  Avocados....  Guacamole.... September 3rd can't come fast enough.

2. Space.

I think Koreans have done a really good job of optimizing their space and resources.  Living here has made me really realize how we Americans feel so entitled to a lot of personal space.  Well, I know where I belong because I cannot wait to have backyards to hang out in, privacy, and to be back in our families' spacious homes.  Let's have lots of barbecues this summer, ok?

3. A bathtub.  Wait...an actual shower for that matter.

 

Here is our bathroom.  Yes, that is the shower nozzle connected to the sink.  We just pull up the stopper to turn our sink into a shower.  And, yes, that is our washing machine behind the sink.  See what I mean when I say I miss having space?

4. Understanding the language.

To be honest, sometimes it is really nice not being able to speak Korean.  It's pretty common for random people to come up to you and try to have a conversation with you about something.  Well, the nice thing here is you can use the "I don't know what you are saying" line and go on with your day without having to answer a million questions about how you like Korea, where you are from, and on and on.  But...it will be so nice to be home where I understand the language and the culture.  Even when people do speak English sometimes I just don't understand what is going on because our cultures are so different.  To sum up how it feels not understanding a word around you, check out this link: http://kikinitinkorea.tumblr.com/page/3

And last but certainly not least,

5.  These sweet faces:

I can't wait to give the biggest hugs to my sweet nephews and see how much they have grown in a year.  I can't wait to finally talk to Jaxson!  And of course, I can't wait to rub Megan's growing belly and countdown the days till my next little nephew or niece arrives.