13 Things I Didn't Expect To Miss About Home
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13 Things I Didn't Expect To Look Forward To when coming home from Italy

"The ache for home lives within all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned." - Maya Angelou

Kayla Miller
Jun 27, 2018
Purdue University
1718
13 Things I Didn't Expect To Look Forward To when coming home from Italy
Kayla Miller

Studying abroad has been an experience of a lifetime. Meeting new people and doing new things day after day has been incredibly surreal... and also quite exhausting. Sometimes, in the midst of being all about trying new things, we forget that we are allowed to recognize our desire for the things we miss as well. Some are more obvious than others, but they all play a role in our lives in one way or another. Whether you miss fried chicken, your bed, or your mama, everyone has something!

Therefore, throughout my entire study abroad experience, I have taken a mental note of thing after thing that I miss from home. Some are probably obvious, so I tried to point out the ones that I genuinely didn't expect.

And PSA: I already asked my mom to meet me with Chick Fil A nuggets and honey mustard sauce at the airport... #sorrynotsorry.

My blankets

Sleeping without blankets has been incredibly hard for me--something I obviously did not expect. I'm used to snuggling up and falling right to sleep, but here I lay awake each night with my single sheet and regret not bringing an extra bag just for a blanket... and yep, I'm being serious. I sleep with 4-5 blankets each night at home, granted I also have the fan on or the window open, but still.

Getting the check at a quick pace

​I'm so excited to not have to wait 30 extra minutes at each restaurant just to get the check and another 10 for the transaction itself to take place.

American Netflix

For some reason, it never occurred to me that on Italian servers Netflix would appear differently and provide a different variety of shows than I'm used to.

Side dishes at restaurants

Kayla Miller

For example, if you want vegetables or fries with your order, you have to order them separately.

Soft clothes

Hang drying all of our clothes has often left them feeling stiff or "crunchy."

Fast food

Photo by Joshua Austin on Unsplash

I haven't been everywhere, but it seems like there are only McDonald's here... where's my precious Chick Fil A???

Dishwashers and dryers

They do have washers, but the dishwashers and dryers range from small to non-existent as well. And PSA: all of my clothes shrank in length (not size).

Not having to pay a cover charge at restaurants

Driving

Kayla Miller

It is actually quite normal in some places to travel strictly by walking, boat, or train.

Free water

Paying for water at restaurants is very overrated...

Normal showers

Yes, this one sounds odd... but the showers we've experienced here are either too small or non-existent. Do you like slamming your arm into the sliding door every time you try to wash your hair? Yeah, me neither.

Shredded cheese

Yep... the cheese here is great, but I need the taco blend of shredded cheese from Walmart. IT IS TOO GOOD.

Sturdy toilet seats

And sometimes... there aren't even toilet seats (or actual toilets) here at all. One of the girls in my group went into a bathroom the was "a hole in the floor."

traveling home from italy
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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