The Final Countdown: What I'll Miss/What I Can't Wait For

Okay, so, I will fess up and admit to the fact that while I do enjoy my time here, we are nearing the end, and i have started to get a little antsy. I am 7 weeks, less than 50 days away (46 to be precise) from being back in the states and I am thrilled about it! Since I have now started the official countdown, I thought it would finally be time to talk about the things I am most looking forward to once I return to America. Conversely, I want to be fair to my experience here and admit to some of the things that I will sincerely miss. So, since we all love a good list, here are two top ten lists of things--in no particular order--I can't wait for in the states and things I will surely miss from the RMI (of course, excluding friends and family I will see in the states and friends and students I will leave behind here).

Things I Can't Wait For Upon My Return to the States:


1. Chipotle

Yeah, I listed it first. Yeah, I know it was owned by McDonald's (though, unknown to most, McDonald's divested in 2006). Yeah, I know its not real Mexican food. But, I miss it. I love it. I want it. Something about walking into that restaurant, hearing that funky music, admiring the Aztec themed metalwork, sauntering up to the counter, asking for a steak burrito (always) with rice and "fajitas" (never beans), tomato and corn salsa, lettuce, and guacamole (which they are always so kind to tell is a $1.35 extra) makes my mouth water, even from thousands of miles away. After hugging my family, dropping my things off at home, and sleeping until the afternoon, this will be the first place I go.

2. My Mother, Father, Sister, and Grandmother's Cooking

As much as I have enjoyed cooking here, nothing beats home cooked meals. My mother is queen, but really, everyone in my family can throw down. I can't wait to have her sweet potato pie, spinach pie, and rosemary chicken. Also nothing heals my wounds like her chicken soup. My father is the king of the grill. Literally, give him anything and he can grill it to the most tender juicy point possible. He once perfectly cooked one of my shoes. Delicious. My sister can cook almost anything, but really, I plan on forcing her to make me a key lime pie. It's the best I have had and probably will ever have in my life. My grandmother is from Memphis, TN, and she cooks like it. I hope that she will do me the pleasure of making a "box lunch" full of fried chicken, collard greens, and hot-water cornbread. Argh, I'm so hungry!

3. Other Fast Food Restaurants/A Good Bacon Cheeseburger with Mushrooms and Onions and a Chocolate Milkshake.

Alright, I know its sad that out of a list of 10 things I look forward to the most, three of them are food, but c'mon! Chicago's deep dish pizza, the Chicago style hot dog chain Portillo's, Potbelly's, Jamba Juice, Panda Express...sigh...such wonderful places all of them. I will only be back in America for a few days but I plan on hitting up all these places before I head back out. The hamburger...well, I'll have to get that from my neighborhood diner, Top Notch. If you come to Chicago, I will take you there. Incredible. Granted, it's fairly dastardly that I am in such want of food when I have more ready access to it than almost any other volunteer out here, but the body has its wants.

4. Drinking from the Tap

The tap in my bathroom at home produces the coldest, crispest water I have ever tasted from a faucet, only bested by my house hose water. In either case, it will be wonderful to want a cold drink of water and be able to get it straight from the sink instead of having to buy it, lug it, make sure ants aren't in it, and then ingest it. More practically, it will be nice to be able to use that same water to brush my teeth.

5. Movie Theaters

While there was a movie theater here when I first arrived in Majuro, I never got the chance to see a film in it before it closed. I was told that it was like any other place that Marshallese people hung out in, lots of in and out and talking. Not the most idea movie atmosphere (though, to be fair, I am a certified movie talker). I love going to movies in movie theaters. Seeing a good action movie on a big screen/IMAX, is an event for my friends and me. We don't have a movie theater in my neighborhood in Chicago, so we drive out to one in the suburbs. We are always late for everything collectively, so its usually a race against time. When we get there, it's always a blast to enjoy a movie with not only a group of friends, but with hundreds of people. I look forward to catching a movie if I have time.

6. The Chicago Skyline/Driving Down Lake Shore Drive to See It.

There is little I can say about this. For those of you who have seen it/done it, you know what I am talking about. For those of you who haven't, you've got something to add to your life "to do list." Imagine driving down a highway, north to south, with the beach and Lake Michigan to your left and some downtown buildings on the right. You are about to drive straight into the famous Drake Hotel, but then, the highway swings out over the water--no land to your left--and you see even more of the Chicago as you drive into the heart of the city. Bliss.

7. Big Spaces with Lots of Things in Them

Well, this one sounds extremely asinine, but this island is about as wide as a football field and it is possible to walk the entire length of the urban part of the Majuro island in a bit over the hour. I enjoy feeling lost in a mass of people and being in sprawling spaces. Parks, museums, and big buildings are prefect locations for people watching and ruminating. I miss being one among many, whereas here I am "the black ribelle with the weird hair who teaches at Majuro Middle School." Seriously, I can get in a taxi, having never directly met the driver before, and he will know where to drop me off without me saying anything. Comforting...and strange.

8. Train Rides

I love riding on the Metra and the L train (for those of you that need a frame of reference, the "L" is the elevated train that can be seen in the film "Batman Begins"). It's a wonderful way to see the city, a quick and economical way to travel, and a great place to people watch/nap/read. I find the rides very relaxing and they make me feel very urban.

9. The Ability to Download Things/Go on Facebook/Youtube Whenever I Want

I am lucky to have internet in my house (SOMEtimes) and free on the high school campus I live on (more often than sometimes, but still...) so I shouldn't complain at all, but it is incredible annoying that things like youtube, radio.tv sites like CNN, and photo sites like Flickr are blocked every so often since the Ministry of Education does not see their relevance in the classroom. I can understand why Facebook is blocked every now and then, but it's a bit easier to get around and not having it is kinda nice. Still, because of a firewall, its nearly impossible to download music here, which is like having my fingers cut off. I can't wait for fast, consistent, uncensored internet. I think the majority of my time at home outside of fast food restaurants and spending time with my family and friends will be devoted to refilling my iTunes.

10. Consistent Hot Water Showers

I fully recognize that many of my wants are indicative of first-world unnecessary comforts, but, what can I say. I am a first world kid. i know that many people around the world live without hot water, and even more without any water at all. I will confess that after sweating all day under the hot Pacific sun, sometimes a cold shower can be nice. However, for the most part, they suck. Before every shower I have to mentally psych myself up to go into the water. It's enough to make me not want to take a shower sometimes. It's stupid. It's superficial, but I love taking a long hot shower. I have been fortunate enough to do that here a handful of times and I can't wait to be able to do it everyday.

Things I Will Definitely Miss From the RMI:

1. Playing with Random Children and it not being Considered Weird

There are so many ways to misconstrue this, but here, there aren't. There are seemingly hundreds of kids all over the place and they are always down to play--any game, any time. I taught some 3rd graders how to play four square and it was the best time i had had in ages (that's a good thing, not a bad thing). It's a blast to just walk up to some kids and join in their game, or pick up a toddler and swing him around or throw her in the air. Playing with children--my students to the little kids that live next to my house on campus--has been one of the highlights of this experience. It's sad that we live in a world in America where people have to be concerned for the safety of their children because there are people out there who want to do wrong to them. Can't we all just get along and play in the sandbox?

2. Knowing Someone No Matter Where I Go

If you know me you know that I am what they call "a social butterfly." At times this moniker has annoyed me, but I have come to accept it as true and as one of my better qualities. Here is no exception. I have done my best to meet and befriend a lot of people, and it's not necessarily difficult in a place so small where I am a foreign minority. There is a lot of comfort in knowing that no matter what location I frequent, I will most likely run into someone I know. I know almost every ribelle and my students/high school students I have befriended are everywhere. I am on a first name basis with a number of taxi drivers, bartenders, and store attendants. I will miss these people and being in a community with them. I am sure the next community I join will have similar microcosmic relations, but they will not match the familiarity of this place.

3. Being (Relatively) Disconnected

As I said before, I have internet in my room/on the campus I live in. I can watch TV on my laptop or in one of many restaurants/bars. I also have a cell phone and communicate for the most part through text. Still, being here has been a nice vacation from the hyper-connectivity and constant communication of the super-wired Dartmouth campus and the urban world where EVERYONE has a smart phone (if I get another email from someone's iPhone...). It is nice that the excuses, "I couldn't access my email" or "My phone was out of batteries and I have no power to charge it" are legitimate here. There is a widely held belief that if it doesn't happen now it will get done later, and it's nice to lean on that disposition.

4. Transportation Being .50 or .75 Cents

I have gotten in a taxi in America probably less times than I have fingers on my hands. Here, it's the only way to travel. I hate the fact that public transportation is always advertised as being better for the environment and "the only way to see the city" but it is so incredibly expensive. I will definitely miss the fact that here quarters are the new dollar. Still, my cheapness prevails. I do my best to never get into a .75 cent taxi if I can help it. Incredible.

5. Not Having to Go to A Lot of Places to Get Things Done

It's so nice that all the goods one could need are available in a few locations. Hardware? Ace or Do It Best. Groceries or house supplies? Payless or Formosa. Besides the gym and the post office, those are probably the only places I ever really need to run errands. I hate that in America every place has its own speciality. Much easier when everything is centrally located.

6. Fresh Coconuts and Mangos

Little here needs to be said. Pacific climate yields fresh fruits. Both of these fruits are incredible words of nature and it will be unfortunate when their prices are raised since they will need to be shipped to where I am (for the record, mangos are shipped, but are almost always in stock). Coconuts are abound and it's awesome that you can just get one basically off the ground and have a filling snack and drink all with a few simple cracks of a nutshell.

7. The Blueness of the Ocean

My last blog post was about this. The blue of the Pacific ocean is the bluest blue I think I will see. Most of this earth is under the water, and I will having the opportunity to look into it.

8. Random Friendliness

In addition to knowing people most everywhere I go, people here are generally extremely nice. Any eye contact is met with a head nod and a "Good morning" or "Good evening." Children smile and take your hand as you walk down the street. People share everything. This is not your typical American community where everyone is scared of everyone else. The compassion, community, and camaraderie will be greatly missed.

9. Sashimi

Dear God, this stuff is so incredibly and absolutely delicious. Sashimi, for those of you who don't know, is a Japanese dish of small bite-sized pieces of fish (usually tuna here) that are eaten with soy sauce and wasabi. The stuff melts in the mouth like butter and is so unbelievably fresh tasting that every few days I have a craving that cannot be sated until I get some in my gullet.

10. Running from Storms

There is little more thrilling here than seeing a storm coming down THE street, grey-black clouds stampeding towards you, and the sound of sheets of rain crescendoing in your ears. You have something of value in your hands or bag. You need to be somewhere and you know rain makes it impossible to get a taxi. You simply don't want to get wet. So, you run. There have been countless times that I have run down the street, scurrying away from dark wet spots generating on the ground and chasing me like a dark shadow. It sounds silly, but I will miss this boyish fun. I love the rain, and its been nice to have such a close, albeit tumultuous relationship with it.

A few more weeks and I will be seeing you all!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew