My family travelled abroad quite frequently when I was growing up, and so I figured that I wouldn’t really experience any culture shock when I moved to Poland. For the most part, this has been true. Thanks to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of globalisation, Poland has acquired many similarities to the U.S. However, there are still many, many differences – for example, I feel like every time I step out the door, I’m going up against some form of EU bureaucracy.
But the more time I spend here, the more the list of things I miss grows. Although I haven’t been here all that long, real life has set in at an accelerated pace, what with finding an apartment and getting it furnished and going to class, etc.
Here is that growing list:
My puppy
Silk soy milk (and other products)
cheddar cheese
being able to easily purchase first aid supplies or other over-the-counter meds
having my tchotchkes around
hopstop or Google Maps public transport support
tamari-seaweed rice cakes
Lincoln Center (Nutcracker. And I really wanted to see the new Ring cycle at the Met because the set sounds fabulous.)
fresh saltwater seafood
Whole Foods
decent selections of ethnic/speciality food (especially dim-sum, sushi, vegan, New York-style pizza, and Mexican, which I typically don’t even like)
fro-yo
Clorox products
New York in general
good baking aisles
