T-minus 9 days...

T-minus 9 days until I step onto one plane in Lebanon and 27 hours later step off another in the US.  I've started doing a myriad of 'last' things:  final lunches with friends, final purchases or payments for utilities and other goods, final drop of ranch dressing squeezed out of the last bottle I'm willing to buy before I move home...

I've just started to let it sink in that I'll really be heading home soon.  I very much like to be where I am, and not think of other places.  Today I told myself, "In a week and 2 days, you WILL be back in South Carolina.  Start getting your brain there."

I've started to take note of things I will miss about Lebanon, and in the past few days allowed myself to look forward to the things I will get to enjoy in my home country.

A few of the little things that have come to mind as I've been traipsing across the city:

From Lebanon...

Things I'll miss about Leb (other than the wonderful people, akeed):

• Every food establishment delivers
• Granite counter tops as a default
• Nice place mats and place settings in all restaurants
• Getting to speak in 1-3 languages at any time.  3anjad?  Akeed.
• Getting to walk so much!  I've really started to love walking every where I go.  It just feels nice.
• How ridiculously accommodating pharmacies are.  You just go in, describe your symptoms, they ask you a few questions, and give you what you need.  They'll even say, "Oh, you only need 10 of these so I'll just give you one sheet out of this box."  Merci ktiir!
• Being able to cross the street whenever and however I like.  Just walk out in front of the cars; they'll stop.  (Incidentally, if I die within 3 months of returning to America, there's probably a 85% chance that I will have been hit by a car while crossing the street, Lebanese-style.)
• Cooking on a gas stove...  It just heats so quickly.

to South Carolina

Some things to look forward to in my return the the states:

• Not cooking on a gas stove...  It's hard not to burn things.
• Not fighting off carsickness every time I'm in a car
• Not having perpetually crispy clothes from line-drying all of the time
• A phone that just keeps the capacity to work with little-to-no effort from me... No more checking my credit and buying little cards and typing in little numbers all the time
• NOT getting shocked my my refrigerator/washer/computer all the time.  Ugh!
• That one time of year when the electricity goes out and it's novel...  "Ooo!  No electricity!  Crazy!?  Quick, light some candles and we'll play cards and talk and have fun."
• Walking (or driving) the streets without incessantly being offered a taxi
• Shopping carts that have wheels on the back that only go forward and backward.  Carts here have casters on all 4 wheels and roll in all directions at anytime.  It's disastrous, and annoying.  

Of course, these are mostly the little things in life.  If we wanted to talk about big things, like friends, family, hospitality, and affection, that's a whole other post with a whole other tone...  I'll probably get around to writing that soon.

The count down continues...