I am sad that my last 3 weeks are here, it seems like yesterday I was arriving in Florence!  It’s crazy to look back and realize how many friends I have made, the amazing places I have seen, and memories I have made.  With that being said, I am in some ways ready to go home and am missing America.  My roommates and I made a list of all the simple things we miss and some of the FIRST things we will do upon arrival in the US.

Obviously, everyone misses family, friends, and pets.  I miss my little Chihuahua so much, and I see so many around Europe is makes me sad sometimes.  I also can’t wait to be able to communicate with people without any problems.  That is something you take for granted until you live in a country where you have to put SO much effort into something as simple as asking for a napkin.

A lot of the things we constantly talked about were related to food.  What can we say, we are college kids so we love our food.  I miss fountain pop and free refills of it! All throughout Italy and Europe in general, most restaurants hand you a can of diet coke and a cup.  I am a firm believer in the difference between bottled, canned, and fountain pop.  This means that if you want another diet coke, you’re going to have to drop another 3-4 euro.  You may say, aren’t there McDonalds’ in all countries.  Yes, there is.  But even in McDonald’s you can’t get free refills.  It’s a bummer for pop lovers. I am also going to love having Heinz ketchup at every restaurant- and for free.  I am a Pittsburgh girl.  With this being said, I find any other brand of ketchup unappealing.  Most countries’ versions of ketchup are not even close.  Even when you can find Heinz, most of the time you have to pay for each packet! This is not good for a ketchup lover.  Also, Italian’s do not believe in “to go” cups in coffee shops.  I was told by a coffee shop owner that if you ask for a to go cup, they instantly know you are American. I get that they have a relaxed mentality, but it always baffled us study abroad students that they apparently are never obligated to be anywhere on time. Speaking of coffee, my roommates always talk about how they miss real-sized coffees.  I drank absolutely no coffee products before moving to Italy.  Now, I am a cappuccino fanatic. We always talk about how we miss real service.  I guess this could theoretically apply to other things besides food, but we always think of this when we are at restaurants.  We have waited a half an hour to get a check before.  And if you ask for separate checks, they will often roll their eyes at you.  In America, they will often bring you your check and ask you whether you want it together or separate, without even asking.  I also can’t wait to go to restaurants and not be worried about being charged for water and rolls.  Finally, I miss…..peanut butter.   They are really big into Nutella over here.  Don’t get me wrong, Nutella is delicious but if you want to purchase peanut butter here there is usually only one kind at each store and a small tub is pretty expensive.

The last thing I cannot wait to do is go to Walmart.  It is frustrating only having small family owned stores or smaller chain stores to shop for food.  My favorite sauce is in one store, but I have to get my favorite cheese in another store.  At least you know, you can go to Walmart and get everything you need in one visit and it is going to be the same price as most other places.

I love many things about Italy, but thinking of these simple things makes us eager to get home.  Not necessarily because they are serious and important, but because it teaches us that even the simplest things can make a home, your home (: 

Location: Florence, Italy