The things I miss about home.

So I haven't really been faithful to the blog. I've posted here and there, but not as regularly as I would like too. Anyways, it came to my attention the amount of complaints from teenagers and young adults alike about the USA and why it's so terrible, or why they don't want to live there. After living in Ireland for a few months, I've realized just how lucky I am to be an American. Here's a few things I'm looking forward to when I return home:

1. Warm water. Most facets here have a cold water and a hot water sprout, not one that's together. If there's only one, it's still separate water, just coming out of two different sides. I often burn myself washing dishes, because the hot water often escapes the wraith of the cold.

2. Reliable dryers. In my apartment, our washer and dryer are one and the same. The only problem is, the dryer doesn't get the job done. So we have to hang our clothes on a rack.

3. Dr. Pepper and Rootbeer. Now I did find Dr. Pepper in the small town of Bantry, but no where else has it caught my eye. Rootbeer doesn't exist as far as I know, which makes me one sad consumer.

4. Food true to the expiration date. You will find your milk going bad three days before it expires, as well as other dairy products. Cream cheese that's supposed to last forever can go bad in a matter of weeks after opening it. Same with bread.

5. 24/7 internet. Most apartments do not have very reliable internet. There will be days when it won't even come up, or it decides to be extremely slow to the point where you can't even use it.

6. Hardcore education. Now I can't say that I don't like having only two papers per class during the semester instead of lots of quizzes, homework, and tests, but the reality is I feel lazy. Now there are plenty of clubs and societies to get involved with, but the 25 minute walk at 7pm when there are hookers around makes it less appealing. I also feel like I've lost reason to attend my lectures, because even though they're helpful in understanding the material, the essays are really more about what you find within the book and not what they tell you in class.

7. 24/7 library. The UCC library closes at 8pm during the week, and around noon or so on Saturdays and Sundays. There's also a one euro fee per day if you don't turn in your book on time. I really miss studying and checking out books in Hale at one in the morning. :(

8. Walmart/Target. There, I said it. Even though Walmart is not my favorite place in the world, I do crave it's massive stock of cheap goods and tasty snacks. There's Tesco, but it doesn't even compare to the greatness of Wally World or Targe' (is that you spell it)?? It's just so convenient to have everything all in one place, instead of scrambling to hop from one store to the other, just so you can get milk and colored pencils.

9. Chocolate. Particularly milk chocolate. It tastes so different here, and I'm actually getting tired of Cadbury and digestive biscuits (chocolate covered cookies). I was disappointed to find my kitkat bars were not the same flavor as the ones at home. It tastes more like a dark chocolate, only less bittersweet.

10. Mexican food. I miss it with a dying passion! You can make tacos, but it's just not the same as Manny's or any other authentic restaurant on South West Blvd. Rest assured, I will eat my chicken tacos the day I come home. George, if you are reading this, plan on going to Manny's. Oh, and that new Jack in the Box. I gotta hit that up too...

Tomorrow I'll post ten things about Ireland that I wish we had in Kansas.