Lots of things that I'll miss here will have an equivalent in Tanzania. I'll miss my church and kids' school, but I'm confident that we'll embrace a new faith and educational community. I'll miss the Hawthorne pool, but HOPAC also has a pretty nice-looking pool. I'll miss Jersey bagels, pizza, and cheese, but am looking forward to fresh mango, pineapple and Indian food. I'll miss a lot of our family's traditions, but I know we'll craft new ones together!
Topping the list of things I will miss when we move are the people - friends, family, church family. I honestly can't imagine my life without them! All the rest of the things I'll miss are truly unimportant, but I will mourn them nonetheless:
The Library: I love, love, love the library. I love browsing there, loading up on books, coordinating my goodreads queue with holds at the library. The Bergen County library system is a true marvel - unlimited books, delivered right to your library for free! I will miss it immensely. Although HOPAC reportedly has a pretty good library, and I now own a Kindle (so I believe digital Amazon purchases are possible), it's certainly not gonna be like the amazing BCCLS system.
My Porch Swing: I don't sit in it nearly enough, but I love to spend summer evenings there with a cold beverage, listening to the tree frogs. I also love to sit there with my kids, watching a storm roll in from the west with ominous black clouds and jagged forks of lightning. Countless popsicles and conversation have been shared in this space.
Fall: I will miss the crisp chill in the air, pumpkin spice lattes, and beautiful leaves. I will miss putting on my fleece and my fuzzy robe and slippers.
Feeling Like I Know What I'm Doing: I love planning, making lists and crossing off items on the lists. I like accomplishing tasks and errands. In Tanzania, I won't know the language, how to drive or navigate, what the customs are or how to barter. Will I ever get to a place where I can tool around town with only half my mind on the road, crossing items off my to-do list like a champ?
Well,you will have so many new experiences, and all those "miss"es will still be here when you all come back home. Two years form now they will be on your "looking forward to" list and all your new experiences will be on you "I'll miss" list.
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