Don't Miss...Out

Mochi-Tsuki (Homemade mochi-making)

So the other day I pretty much break down, and call my dad, crying. "I just want to come home," I release through a flood of tears. I'm in my roommate's room, on her laptop, without her knowing because I'm sick at home all alone. I would use my own laptop, but of course I'm still the lone one without internet, and in a mindset bereft of emotional sobriety I flip on her light switch and sign on to my Skype account, well-intentioned to tell her later.

So we talk. I tell him how behind I am in my schoolwork, how difficult the language is, how the other girls don't like me, and on and on. He listens, really listens, and then expresses his love and understanding - including a reassurance that he would fly me home sometime after I return to BYU. We continue to talk, and have one of the best and most natural father-daughter talks we've had in a while, ever, perhaps, and by the time the Skype call comes to a close I am a little calmer and even-minded.

But I don't want to simply count down the days on my calendar of New York (thanks, Scott) to my departure date. So, as a result of this conversation I decided to list things I will miss here, to be sure I would appreciate the here and now, and not look TOO forward to returning to the States:

1. Letters from home Ok so I'm sure this seems like an odd place to begin, but the weekly letters from my dad, Jeff, and others have resulted in daily post-work anticipation. Will I get one today? If so, whom will it be from? This gives me something to look forward to, since I don't have internet access to return home to.

2. School lunch I have had everthing from ika meshi (rice-stuffed squid filet) to marinated cabbage salad with those tiny little fish with eyes. And I have loved every bit of it.
3. 8:30 p.m. Ok, sorry to be the fat kid and rave about the food, again, but at this time of the evening I can get sushi for half price at the stand up the street. It probably tastes bad to the locals (it is on sale, after all), but it's still better than anything I could get back home.
(The Banana Bread lady)
4. Enrichment Activities Ever wonder what Relief Society ladies outside of the Wasatch Front do for Enrichment? Try homemade miso soup cooking classes, colorful knitted - in various shapes of adorable animals - potholder-making sessions, and kimono bag-sewing for the elderly home in the Nakano area (shown). Not only are the activities splendid, but the sisters always make sure that I feel welcome; one of them even feels like a temporary mother (she's also the only place here where I can get banana bread).

But I didn't stop there. I thought about the things I already miss about my time in Tuscaloosa:
1. Hila's and my monthly missionary feedings We collaborated to create delectable meals for those elders, and had fun little spiritual messages in exchange. Ok, I of course always tried to find creative and exciting dishes, which were never really all that good, but Hila's awesome desserts always made up for it (like that amazing ice cream mountain - what was that called???)
2. Laying out by the pool I miss having free time to bask in the sun. Ahh! The sun!
3. Nursery I loved those kids. Ethan, Abby, and the like brought so much joy to me each week, and taught me so much about being Christlike and faithful with love towards all, and even how to like "In the Leafy Treetops."
4. Publix Sales
5. Break the Fast On the evening of a fast Sunday, the YSA would each bring a dish to the church building and enjoy buffet-style food and conversation. Sign-up sheets never worked - no one ever remembered what they signed up for - so some weeks we would have all desserts and sometimes none.

...And the things I'm looking forward to when I go back home:
1. Libby's breakfasts Nothing feels like home (in Alabama, at least) more than the smell of biscuits, grits, scrambled eggs, and a mix of sausage and bacon in the mornings.
2. Trips to the beach White sand. Crystal water. Fresh seafood at tacky Florida restaurants. Love it.
3. Southern accents
4. Hugs from Papa. Agh I need a good one! People hardly even handshake here, let alone embrace! Give me a good kiss on the cheek, too!