Wednesday, March 21, 2007

5,4,3,2,1, MEME

I've been tagged by the delightful Christina , an American expat in Germany- who I met last weekend. This is sort of a difficult meme for me to complete because I've been away from my home country for about 12 years, and honestly miss very few things.

Name five things you love in your new country:
1. The Mediterranean weather- we've had Spring like temperatures for a month already, though it's been a bit Wintery these past few days.
2. The way life changes so quickly in a developing country. Every week there's a positive change.
3. The warm, friendly people. Honestly, they are open and curious about everything.
4. Living just 20 minutes from both the mountains and the Adriatic Sea.
5. Outdoor cafes + terraces. Oh it is bliss to sit outside drinking GREAT inexpensive coffee!

Name four things that you miss from your native country:
1. Being able to buy anything and everything I need for any recipe in any cookbook.
2. Eavesdropping on a zillion little conversations a day.
3. Flirting with friends and being flirted with (in English)
4. Bookshops where I can browse and buy to my hearts content.

Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
1. Spit
2. Traffic
3. Politics

Name two things that surprise you (or surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
1. Lack of electricity
2. Lack of much of a Muslim presence

Name one thing that you would miss terribly in your new country, if you had to leave it:
1. My amazing group of female friends.

Now who to tag??
Myrthe of The Armenian Odar
Cyndi of Re-boot: A New Life in Italy
Oreneta of Oreneta Aground
Jessica of In Search of Dessert
and Expat Traveller

If you've already done it, you're ahead of the game and can just link to your old post, otherwise hop to it!

10 comments:

Dixie said...

Oh I miss bookstores too! I could stay in a bookstore for hours on end.

christina said...

Spit! That's a good one. Seems like spit is to Albania what doggie-doo is to Germany. :-)

I did the meme today and it really should start at 10 or so. So many things to think about.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for tagging me, Kim! Give me a couple of days to think about the answers (especially about what I do miss about my native country, because there's not THAT much...) and I'll post it. I might actually have to steal a few answers from you (Book shops!!!!!), as I had a few "Yes, me too!" moments before I actually got to read my name.

Cynthia Rae said...

That was interesting! As an expat, there will always be things we love and hate about our new home. And things we miss about our old home.

I noticed you tagged me. I will to work on it. And I haven't forgotten about the purse one either.

Cyn
Any plans to come to Italy in the spring.... it sure is pretty here right now!

Anonymous said...

Bookstores and burritos.

After twenty years I still miss those things.

And Malt shakes

oreneta said...

That was fun....mine's done.

Anonymous said...

Mine's finally up as well: http://armenianodar.blogspot.com/2007/04/54321-meme.html

verniciousknids said...

Ahh bookshops...thank goodness for Amazon!

Anonymous said...

alrighty, i put mine up!

Anonymous said...

1. Being able to buy anything and everything I need for any recipe in any cookbook.


I know, in Albania the food is more seasonal and local. Abroad, you can go to a hypermarket or a mall and get anything from anywhere in the world.