After returning from my trip to the UK & Ireland last night, I can already speak on the list of things I've missed about the US:
1.) Coffee - Yes...the coffee...oh how I have missed it. Filling my morning with joy and coffeeness. So good. So easily accessible. Good job, USA, good job.
2.) Vegetables - They are everywhere! Fruit too! So easy to add to a meal or to just be a meal. It's wonderful.
3.) The plumbing - Flushing on the first try??? NO WAY! Super stoked....the whole water pressure and temperature adjustment in the shower thing is pretty sweet too.
4.) Tap water- Oh the tap water, not chalky, not salty, just refreshing. This is good.
However, I can also already make a list of things that I miss about the UK and Ireland.
1.) Friendly strangers. Yes, California, they exist. People who hold the door open for you. Don't give you dirty looks if you make conversation. Respect of your space but don't avoid you like the plague. Help you if you're lost. And, in general, aren't giant assholes. Example: there was a blind homeless man on one of our buses. People helped him to his seat, the bus driver made sure he knew where to drop him, then man sitting next to him made conversation, when he needed his armrest adjusted or when he dropped his cane, people helped without needing thanks. Talk about a culture shock.
2.) History. It's everywhere. Not just the landmarks and the museums, but in the local pub, the street you walk on, the river you splash in, and the people that you meet, full of knowledge and pride. Thousands of years of history. It's beautiful. (And side note: don't mess with the naked men in blue, they are scary and awesome.)
3.) The "red shirts". No need to elaborate. Funny, knowledgable, and fun folks. Yes, indeed ;) Which leads me to......... *drum roll*
4.) Accents....they are awesome and so pretty.
5.) Scones. Ireland, thank you. Just, thank you.
6.) Pubs. Not only for the FANSTASTIC beer (which deserves a number of it's own), but for the people that you meet, the fun you find, and the stories.
7.) The FANTASTIC beer.
8.) Street performers. Yes, our group was lucky since we had a good amount of time at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival which had hundreds of awesome street performers. But even outside of the festival - on the tube in London, on the streets of Dublin, street performers everywhere! And if you were paying attention to item #1 you'd be able to guess that, yes, people do indeed stop to listen and throw in some change. Because these are some talented folks adding music, culture, and clowns to our busy lives, sometimes even making us stop and listen for half a second. Love it.
9.) Education. It's valued. It's affordable. It's better. It's specific. It's wanted and appreciated. It's not putting their 20 year olds into crippling debt that they'll be paying for the rest of their lives. Listen up America, you're doing it wrong.
10.) Transportation. I know...this is weird. But it's so easy to get anywhere you want to go. It's awesome.
11.) General views on artists. Of course on our adventures we met plenty of artists, musicians, performers all over place, and there is a huge difference on how they are viewed. Like the most of the artistic lot in the US, they have their "day job" and then they have their passion. But unlike the US, their is a certain amount of actual acceptence when someone says "I am a musician(artist/performer)". Maybe this is a particularly sensitive area for me since I'm so used to saying "I'm an actor" and getting responses like "Cool, what do you do for a living?" or "Oh, that's nice. Which restaurant do you work in?" or "Ha. What's your back up plan?" or "Do you have a rich husband then?" or "Awesome. What do you actually do?" or "It must be nice to be one of those 'free spirit' types"....and I could go on...the first person I told I was an actor in the UK, I went through my usual mental process. Oh c'mon...you other performers out there know it. The "here comes the smirk, followed by fake appreciation, and a rude comment. Just smile and maybe they'll go away..." mental preparation whenever we have to admit our passion to a stranger. However instead of the usual, I was pleasantly surprised by being able to actually have a conversation with this person about what I do and why I love it. Yes, I know what you're thinking..."that person must've been another performer..". But nope, she was a biology student. Performers, artists, and musicians are a valued part of society, and unlike in the US, in the UK it isn't treated as a big secret.
12.) Culture. People from all over the world. Different languages. Different ways of life. Different social norms. Everywhere. It's pretty awesome.
That is my general list of things that I already miss about the UK & Ireland. To clarify, I am an American girl and proud to be, but I learned alot in my short trip that just make more sense than what I've grown accustomed to. I'm sure I'll think of more things to miss since I've been home for less than 24 hours at this point, but for now, this will do.
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