What would you miss if you move abroad?

Hello again! It is Sunday, we have been in a beautiful park for the day, which made us think a lot about many things. Of course, for me it was also about what to write so that you a little additional piece in this puzzle that is our life in the US. So I decided that this time I can talk about what the US citizens  miss when they're abroad.

Every time that someone has to live in a different culture than his original one, there's certain things that seemed to be basic in the past, and now they are just not available anymore. I can think of some things that we missed from the time we settled in Stuttgart, and now it is more of the same. But, to do it more fun, I'll start summarizing some things that American miss when they live abroad. That way you can get the idea of how basic these things seem to be here. In a future post, we'll list the things we miss being here, that we we catch your attention for more time :) There's a couple of sites that helped me gather some facts together, so here they are:

- Food

You could think that the Americans don't have a very distinctive cuisine. And that might also be true, because what they miss is not necessarily one kind of food, but the variety. Some of them mention Mexican food: since they're so close, Mexican food does taste delicious in the US. You can get really good tortillas, and there is a lot of Mexican restaurants throughout the country, most of the time also inexpensive. In the big cities you can even find some parts where taquerias is the main kind of restaurant. Not to forget "Taco Bell", which might be the worst fast food chain of all times, but I'm sure once this gets in your blood from your childhood times, it just stays forever as a need.

Another kind of food American miss is their chili fries, which are just fries loaded with a lot of cheese, and ground meat (sometimes really, really hot). And of course, a good hamburger. Huge hamburgers, or proper-sized ones, if you will. In Europe, everything is smaller, so they would actually need a couple of them to compensate for the same amount that you can get here (for the same price, by the way). I think I understand them in this aspect :)

Something interesting is also the passion for popcorn. In fact, most microwaves have an option for popcorn, so you don't have to figure out how much time and level you need. I don't remember that from Europe.

- Drinks

There is a beverage that is probably only available here, I'm talking about root beer. We bought 4 bottles just to get to try them, three of them are still waiting in the fridge. It doesn't taste good,  but they miss it. Don't ask me why :)

Another thing is the ice for the drinks. And as a Spaniard, I also missed that when I was in Germany, I love my drink when it's really cold, not just coming from the fridge. I know, in Germany there's no need to drink a coke at 2 degC, but it tastes so much better. And so think the Americans as well. They also have unlimited refills for all soft beverages (they call them pops in Michigan), which I find great!

- Space

I don't think it is the first time I said this: everything is bigger here. The cars, the houses, the gardens, the malls, grocery shops... Especially the houses are something that I can imagine as difficult to accept, we actually have double so much space as in Germany, not even counting the garden. And I feel I could miss all this, I mean, the walk-in closet, the bathroom with two sinks, garage for two cars within the house, most people even have additional space in their basements, etc. We try to be conscious about the fact that this is as big as it gets, and we don't buy additional furniture to cover empty spaces, as they won't fit when we get back to a tiny house :)

- Shopping

In the US, shopping has a higher level. You can wake up at 3 AM and do your groceries. And the worst thing is, you will not be the only one. There's a lot of big grocery shops that open 24/7. And you can shop on Sunday! That way you don't have to accommodate your needs to the timelines from the shops, because there is no restrictions! I even remember the time we came from our vacation in Argentina, back in 2010. We arrived at 2AM and had to wait around 10 hours in Atlanta, and fortunately, it was Good Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. So, the officer in customs told us to get the train and go to a mall. We argued that it was too early, but he explained to us that in Good Friday, all shops open at midnight, and have special offers and discounts etc. and so we went. And the mall was packed!!

With the shopping, it is necessary to talk about taxes: 6% in Michigan! Compare it with 21% in Spain, for instance, it is way more expensive to buy the same product!

Also, here you can pay everything (about one dollar) with debit/credit card. It is hard to think of the last time we went to the bank. By the way, here the banks have a drive-thru, so you don't even have to get out of the car to get money. Convenient, right? No wonder the expats miss these things :)

And one other thing: Drug stores!! you can get all medicaments you want from them, just get them from the shelf and pay it! No waiting, no asking the pharmacist, a lot of medicaments don't even need prescription! Yes, it must be hard once you are used to that convenience...

- Gas stations

You don't have to pay inside, simply paying with your card in the counter where you are refilling will do it. In fact, you don't even have to decide a lot for the right fuel, because 99% of the cars use gas and not diesel (probably I exaggerated, but you get it, right?). So a lot of stations don't even have diesel available, or it any, it is located somewhere else. And they are so much bigger, so you normally don't have to wait a lot.

And most important, gas is SOOOOOO much cheaper than in Europe!! Although it has been increasing a lot lately, it is not comparable yet.


So, like I said, we do miss some things, and would like to share them with you, but let's do one thing at a time, and leave you awaiting for new posts!!

Lots of love

Lita & Andres