In April, we were able to escape the rainy season and take our first trip to the US since moving to Tanzania in July 2014.  The trip had several purposes: we had some meetings for work, we wanted to see many family and friends, and we needed a break.  Living here as an “expat” (a non-Tanzanian who does not intend to immigrate) can be so easy and comfortable compared to the lives most Tanzanians live, however there are several things we have learned that we took for granted in the US:

1. DRINKABLE TAP WATER
2. Interstates
3. Fried pickles
4. Water fountains
5. Electricity 24 hours a day
6. Super crazy fast internet
7. Southern-style BBQ
8. Paved roads (especially ones without potholes that will swallow a motorcycle)
9. Free water at restaurants
10. Parks/hiking/biking
11. Sidewalks
12. Hot water coming out of the tap
13. Leaving valuables in the car and not even thinking twice about it
14. Good draft beer
15. Southern-style Mexican food
16. Using a credit or debit card for everything
17. Four very different seasons
18. Not battling mold and ants
19. Not having to wear bug spray anytime you leave the house
20. Waste management
21. MAX

We loved having all these conveniences during our trip, but what might seem crazy to some of y’all is that the more time we spent at home, the more we missed things from our Tanzania home:

1. Not having cable
2. The staff at our apartment
3. Squat toilets (Shannon only)
4. Never feeling cold (again, Shannon only)
5. Not using A/C (except for February and March in our bedroom when it was HOOOOOT)
6. Almost every restaurant has only outdoor seating
7. Chipsi mayai, Stoney Tangawizi, pilau, chai masala, samosas, chapati
8. The kids and staff from the Children’s Home
9. Bajajis (like tuktuks)
10. Tanzanians
11. Chili ketchup
12. The beach
13. Driving manual on the left side of the road (read: trying new things)
14. Soda in glass bottles
15. Hearing frogs and bats every night laying in bed, and birds every morning
16. Consuming less
17. Eating lots of veggies, and rice
18. Fruit stands year-round
19. Seeing kids walk to school and play outside
20. Being driving distance from giraffes
21. Ike (son of our Alabama friends Lauren and David)

It’s good to be back!  But it was also really great to visit so many friends, family, dogs, babies, and favorite restaurants.  Thank you so much to everyone who gave us a place to sleep, or a ride to the airport, or went out of their way to accommodate us or hang-out.  Please, please come see us in Tanzania!

NERD ALERT:

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is Nathan’s first and only Orlando amusement park.  Almost 8 million people visited the park in 2012.  The number of tourists coming to Tanzania hit the 1 million mark that same year!