1. People. As I’m starting to realize, people are, and possibly should be more than they currently are, one of the most integral parts of my life.  So just as I know there will be people at home I can’t wait to see, I also will miss the good friends with whom I’ve gotten used to sharing my life.

2.  Free time.  One beautiful thing about study abroad is that I’ve had more time than ever during a college semester.  Whether this means catching up on sleep, finding time for an extra podcast, traveling, reading books, or writing my thesis, extra time has allowed me to make the most of my semester.

3.  Dance.  To be completely honest, milongas (places where tango is danced almost every night) has not been as large a part of my Argentine life as I expected.  I really don’t think they’re as big a part of an Argentine life in general as they are portrayed.  However, I will miss those times I was able to dance in this city and the simple knowledge that if I had a strong desire to tango, I could easily find a place.

4.  Havanna.  I don’t know what it is about this place.  I’m not a huge Starbucks fan at home, but for some reason I crave Havanna here.  I think it’s a combination the coffee being delicious and my ability to sit there for hours reading without being disturbed.  The environment only adds to how content I feel reading there for a while.

5.  The prices.  Everything here is cheaper than in the United States.  For a reference: a good dinner at a nice restaurant here is $10.  I just started looking at hostels in France, as I’m planning to visit my friend from high school with my month off of classes, and can’t but cringe at all the prices.  I’m not sure how I’m going to deal with that when I get back.

6.  Spanish.  Although it will be exciting to hear my first language again, I will miss knowing that I’m constantly learning.  I will miss the challenge of understanding the accent and knowing I can get in a foreign country.

7.  Liberal arts classes.  Science is going to seem so foreign.  What, I have to balance equations and use math?  What is that?  It’s kind of nice to just have my poetry teacher lecture to me in his beautiful, poetic voice about all the nuances of Juan Gelman.

8.  The proximity of the grocery store. It’s really nice that whenever I need more food for lunches, I can just walk down the street and arrive at the closest Disco (a chain of supermarkets here).  Very convenient.

9. Mate.  I enjoy the culture of mate here, the idea of sharing a communal tea-like drink, sitting, and talking.

10. Warmth. I can’t wait to see snow, but at the same time, I know that as soon as I get home, I will complain about how cold it is.  C’est la vie.

Only two more weeks until I head home.  Where has time gone?