What I Miss About The United States

I’ve been traveling for close to 6 months now. I’ve been through Panama, Colombia, and I’m currently in Argentina. After being on the road for awhile it becomes less traveling and more just your life. You begin to adapt and mesh with the culture.

But there are some things I’ve that I still miss about the good ole’ US of A so I’ve decided to compile a short list. I’ve taken into consideration that each of these countries is distinctly different from one another. But overall this is what missing about home.  I’ll exclude friends and family because that’s a given.

In no particular order:

1. American Football

Football means nothing, but it means everything at the same time.

I spent this year’s Super Bowl in a bar in Cordoba, Argentina. Clay and I were the only Americans in the bar. There were several Argentines wearing random jerseys (Manning and Shockey) but it wasn’t the same. It felt kind of lonely knowing there were big parties going on back home.

There’s something indescribable about Sunday’s and Monday nights during football season. It brings all the guys together. I was talking to an ex-pat in a bar in Buenos Aires and he agreed with my sentiments. It’s impossible to give up American football.

2. Sanitary Bathrooms

This is more a problem in Panama and some places in Colombia. Toilets are sometimes just a hole in the ground that you squat over. Even in nicer restaurants, the workers can’t be bothered to clean up every once in a while.

3. Fresh Fruits and Veggies

Fresh fruits and veggies are readily available in almost every super market in the states. In Central and South America it’s a bit trickier to find the freshest foods. A lot of what you find just looks old. There are ‘farmer’s markets’ on certain days, but it’s hard to buy and store a lot of fresh foods in a hostel for consecutive days.

4. Cheap and fast mail system

I sent some postcards out in Panama. After a month and half I gave up hope that they’d make it. But, magically they appeared at about the 2 month mark. 2 months to get a flimsy piece of cardboard to the states, ouch.

In Argentina it costs close to $2 for a stamp to send to other parts of the country. Sorry grandma, no letters this year.

5. Sane Drivers

I thought drivers in Los Angeles were bad. Not a chance. Drivers in Panama, Colombia, and Argentina have been consistently crazy. You fear for your life every time you step in a cab. And, as a pedestrian you have absolutely no right of way. You don’t see a lot of old ladies in Colombian cities because they’ve all been run over.

+++++

Tomorrow I’ll write what I don’t miss about the United States.