So all throughout my travels, whenever conversation suffered for a moment and I didn’t jump in to save it, my counterpart would invariably ask what I missed most about America. Usually I didn’t have an answer. Now I’ve had a little time to think about it, I thought I’d share the arbitrary ten things I missed most about not necessarily America (people abroad generally can’t fathom how ginormous and diverse the country is, asking about the weather there, etc.) but more what I missed about Gainesville.

1. Potable water even in the toilet tank.

2. Clean air.

3. Service with a genuine smile.

4. Escalators that don’t talk to you.

5. Cheap postage.

6. The American peso.

7. Awesome libraries.

8. Jaywalking.

9. Space.

10. People I’ve known for more than a few days.