Last night Mom and I were walking at Tempe Marketplace and it was such an unseasonably beautiful evening that it got me thinking about all the things I might miss in the near-year I'll be gone. So, as I near the month mark for my departure, I figure it's an appropriate time as any.
First of all, it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that I'll miss people a lot. As much as I never thought that coming back after graduation to live with my folks (and my puppy) in Tempe, Arizona would be an enjoyable experience, it has been, and I will miss spending time with them immensely. I have also met incredible people in the past year that I will miss being close.
I will miss the gym. Wait - let me clarify. I don't plan on missing working at the gym. I will miss working out at the gym and the great team of people that work there. They are half of every bit of motivation I have for getting there (working or not) and they've been a great group of friends that I hope will stay in touch even after my departure. It will be hard to motivate myself to put on my running shoes and go at it alone. There's something about the energetic atmosphere of the gym that so intoxicating and keeps me going past the 15 minute mark.
I will miss TV. This sounds sad. I'm not an addict, so I don't plan on going through withdrawal, but it's something so casual and relaxing sometimes. Of course there will be TV in Spain, but it will be in Spanish, and somehow I just don't think drifting off to sleep to Sex and the City will have the same narcotic effects. It's only made worse because I won't be able to access my Netflix account overseas and thus won't even have my own private access to some sleep aids.
I will miss baseball. Thank goodness the months that I'll be gone fall mostly in the off season. But there's always fall league and spring training that will pass. Beautiful Arizona days spent watching baseball (even when your team's playing like a bunch of little-leaguers) feel just perfect sometimes. (And let me note that I am deeply grateful that I will be missing football season! )
I will miss Sunflower. I love roaming their bulk bins and drooling over the peanut-butter pretzels that I'll never bring myself to buy and stocking up on their beautiful produce and homemade, soft breads. I'm certainly not worried that the food won't be wonderful in Spain (in fact, I am quite excited about the food), but I definitely have my favorite food stuffs (um... I've fallen in love with almond milk) that I strongly doubt will have the same availability abroad (ref: almond milk).
I will miss Mojo. Yum. Although my calorie intake will probably win with this absence, I've grown rather fond of the frequent trips to Mill Avenue to check out their latest flavor selection and get an oversize cup of yummy frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles on top. For that matter, there are a lot of restaurants I'll miss (even though I might not get around to them much, just their presence is enough sometimes): Le Grande Orange (best pizza!), El Pollo Loco (love those little tacos!), and Green (delicious stir fry!). Although I must admit that most places I miss are in LA, and I've been craving them for months already (and I could probably pine after them a bit longer).
I will miss the library. I've used it more in the last 12 months than then last 20 years. Funny enough, it was only a couple months ago that I got my own library card (and now my own fines!). I love stopping in and roaming the shelves for all the newest reads. I've also built up a bit of my own library (only big by my own standards) with so many that I have yet to read to which I'll miss having access.
I will miss easy contact. I'll have a cell phone, but it'll only reach those locally. Functional as that is, I won't have contact with those I love dearly here in the States. Skype is amazing, and I have everything to be grateful for that global contact is as easy and as fast as it is. I'm bummed that my folks don't have a web camera (and buying one would be pointless with their silly computers), and that we'll have to coordinate talk-time (a big adjustment from this year when they are just physically moments away), and that Marina and I can't text each other at any moment (at least inexpensively). But as I said before, there is a lot to be grateful for and it's just the trite little things that will be hard at first.
And that's pretty much it with everything that I can think of at the moment. There will be lots of little things that I won't be able take with me that I'll miss just having (like my books, certain clothes, shoes - my shoes!! - movies, blankets) or being around, that all just makes it feel like home. But as I said before, it's all very small and trite. And I am very aware that once I get there, there will be so many amazing things around me that I know I won't miss anything for very long.
