Top 10s, etc...
So today officially marks 7 months since my first full day here in South Asia--how wild is that! It's funny to me, because when I tried to imagine moving over here I never really thought I'd make it this far. Seriously...I was sure I'd go nuts or something, but it's been seven crazy and wild and fun and hard and packed months, and so far I'm having a pretty good time, overall.
Several friends have posted their Top 10s lately, things they miss from home, so since I've been thinking about it, I'm going to put mine out (This is, of course, aside from family, friends, etc):

10. Sandwiches (with good lunch meat and bread and mayo and tomatoes and so on...sigh)
9. Clothes dyers (hang drying socks is just plain annoying)
8. the simplicity of being able to just pick up and drive somewhere without really having an agenda
7. shopping: specifically, wal-mart, old navy, and not being constantly followed around the store like a shop-lifter!
6. being able to enjoy sitting outside, esp. in my parents' back yard (no weird sounds, animals, or people staring at you)
5. diet Dr Pepper, Diet Cherry Coke, Skittles and all the other random little things you can't get here
4. my little one cup coffee pot, and Community Coffee
3. not having a "typical" schedule (this is fun for a while, but its wearing on me lately)
2. wearing shorts (I rarely even wear them in my house here because you never know when the doorbell is going to ring)
1. my neighborhood and my house, and being able to just walk down the street to my parents' house or my sister's house

But now I must go on and make another list: my Top 10 favorite things about being here:

10. All the new friends I've made, both here in our city and all around the country
9. I have better internet in my apt. here than I ever have at home before (go figure!)
8. all the funny ways people speak English here ("You are looking good today only!")
7. going to the movies, getting popcorn and a Coke, all for less than $5!
6. dancing and music here--so lively and fun
5. having clothes made (this can be a hassle, but it's so fun when it works out well)
4. random animals that roam the streets, esp. the herd of cows that go back and forth down our road (making pit stops at the dumpsters...). oh, and riding elephants, camels, and even a water buffalo!
3. learning to cook all sorts of things i probably should have already known how to cook :)
2. frozen coffee at Cafe Coffee Day = $1....nice
1. traveling: in the car with a driver, on a plane, in a train, in a rickshaw, or even by animal! (this sounds like a Dr. Seuss book!)

A few things I noticed in making these lists: 1, they're not in order really, because that would just take too long, 2, these are my top 10s today (meaning it's subject to change) and 3, the second list was a lot easier to make than the first...hmmm...