You go home?

I’m sitting in the Bangkok airport (the largest in Asia, did you know?) feeling excited about returning to the U.S. but rather melancholy to leave the country I’ve called home for the last 7+ months. Wow, has it really only been 7½ months? The time has gone by relatively quickly, but at the same time, I feel like I’ve been able to do so much and see so many places that it’s hard to fathom it all happened in well under a year.

For those of you who are familiar with the travel blog genre, you probably know that many travelers close out their blogs with a final post describing what they’ll miss most about their home away from home and what they are looking forward to upon returning to their native land. So, for lack of originality, and because I have time to kill before my flight departs, I will follow suit and make a list of my own.

WHAT I’LL MISS ABOUT THAILAND:

- Khao Neow Ma Muang (Mango and sticky rice, AKA a bit of heaven on earth)

- The variety, availability, and low cost of fresh fruit

- Not understanding most of what’s being said around me (I find it rather mentally soothing not to be distracted by extraneous conversation)

- Being offered rides from random strangers when I’m walking along the road and feeling safe about accepting

- Eating outside year-round

- The “mai pen rai” (no worries, not a big deal) attitude practiced by nearly every Thai person

- Meals for less than $1

- The lack of germ phobias and the rigid U.S. uptightness about cleanliness, safety, etc. (I’ll admit that sometimes I don’t always like this)

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO:

- Anonymity. Being able to blend into a crowd, especially after living in Isaan (the Northeast), where I’m pretty sure there are maybe 2 other female farang (Westerners) (possibly an exaggeration, but really, it’s beyond rare to see another white girl there)

- CHEESE

- Green salads. A rare find in Thailand, and very expensive. Plus they always seem to come with a thick, sweet mayonnaise “dressing.” Mmmm (not)

- Driving a car

- Speaking and being understood

- CHEESE

- Seasons. Thailand has “seasons” – rainy, hot, and winter, winter meaning 80 degree temps, not the usual 90s/100s. Although it’ll be a few months, I cannot wait for a chilly fall and cold winter (I know all the Midwesterners are groaning right now after coming out of a long, bitter winter!)

- CHEEEESE

- Seeing all, or most anyway, of your lovely faces

Later, Thailand.