The Waiting Game

So, I'm up, I'm ready to go, and now I am waiting for the UPS person to arrive. It could be a few HOURS before s/he rolls on up in here, so I'd best make myself comfortable. This morning, I was pondering what I miss about the United States. Europe is AMAZING, but lets admit - it's different. So, to document so that I don't forget at a later date, I miss:

1. Target (Oh, how I miss Target!)
2. Knowing the language (that could be fixed, I admit. My German is improving every day!)
3. Starbucks (I know, I know, I'm in VIENNA - home of amazing coffee. I just miss the whole "I'll take a BUCKET of coffee to go please", not the coffee itself)
4. Having a car
5. My bed
6. Sara, Leah, Mathea...all the peeps at school...my PEOPLE.
7. Leah's cats - Pooh & Oscar
8. Stores being open past 7:30 at night (they tell me this is an improvement, it used to be 5pm)
9. Bookstores - all in English!

So, there isn't a whole lot...I can learn to live without a car, Target, bunches of English, and stores only being open until 7:30. You adapt. These aren't necessary things. But I do miss my friends a great deal - these people are simply not replaceable. I'm used to not seeing my family at this stage in my life, thus that isn't difficult (yet). I just think of these things sometimes. I've been gone awhile now, so it doesn't seem like such a big deal (the car, Target, English, stores part). It's not even that I'm ready to return to the grind, every once in awhile I run into things that I'm used to having one way in the US and is totally different out here in "the world." I believe it's character building (you learn how to adapt in a hurry).

In other news, Dad bought Mom her plane ticket to come to Vienna yesterday! She'll arrive on November 2nd and leaves again on November 10th. Fun! Mom has never traveled like this before, so it will be fun to enjoy it with her! I'm going to take her to the Spanish Riding School, the palaces (of course!), Prater, and then to the Opera - to get started!