The "H" word.

Okay, I've been holding out - as if by not admitting it, I will somehow make it evaporate.  But it's time to say it, "I'm homesick".  

What I miss most from my beloved Oregon...

(1) The food!   I'm SO bored of bread! So far in Holland or Denmark (apart from a couple of incredible home-cooked meals), I have yet to hit that place where you're ready to die happy after a wonderful meal.  I miss Laughing Planet's burritos, Old Town's Pizza, Som Tum's Som Tum, and Living Room's Mezza plate! (I'm getting choked up just thinking about it!)

Lunch in Denmark: bread, butter, sausage, mayo, fried onions. Yummm!

(2) My car. Yes, I miss the independence of jumping in and going from point A to point B.  Without working out the tram schedule.  Or allowing time for the wind to blow your umbrella out of your hand 17 times while you ride your bike in the wind and rain.

A typical commute in Amsterdam in the rain.

(3) Portland Beer.  Ahhh, the beer is so amazing! Here, "beer is beer".  Do you want one or not?  It's going to be an 8-ounce pour of something like BudLight... "Cheers!"  Forget getting a good Oatmeal Stout or even a good Amber Ale. 

(4) Night life.  Yes - there's plenty to do in Amsterdam, but it doesn't really "start" until 1am, and goes on and on and on until even I am yawning and ready to die. Now that I'm in this tinseey, weensy village I'd settle for a pizza joint with a jukebox if it had people in it!

My "nightlife": a bike ride to the next village.

...the next village!

(5) English, and Dollars.  Somehow I've adjusted and it now feels "normal" to sit through dinner understanding nothing except the laughter and the baby's "LaLa!" (which translated roughly means "Lynae").  Shopping in Dutch or Danish isn't bad, but I really can't be bothered with the currency.  I just hand them 100 Kr and hope they don't notice the dumb stare on my face as they announce the total.

Danish Dinero: called "Kroner"

(6) A clothes dryer!!!!!!  Holy cow.  Call me a whiner, but in Denmark we're hanging laundry to dry in 94% humidity, and it's is a joke! At least in Holland the dryer will warm up your clean clothes (picture pulling soggy, warm clothes out of the dryer)!

(7) Music.  GASP! Wow, Portland - you rock my face!!!  Where once I could go out 3, 4, 5 times a week and hear a live show, someone on tour, or a jam session... there's just nothing close to that here in my village for certain, and not even Amsterdam.  Yeah - there's lots of great music, but Portland has many of the same names, PLUS the local scene. 

Okay, okay all the whining and fuss aside - I have to say that none of this has me buying a ticket and heading back to the "land of the free and home of the brave" any time soon.  There are heaps of wonderful things I'm enjoying here!  Mmany of them I've blogged about - but then there are the "little things" that maybe I take for granted now, and I won't really notice... until they're left behind!
 

Disclaimer: friends and loved ones are not mentioned here only  because it's so much easier to talk about things I CAN live without! Yes... you're very missed!