We're officially in Albania, our very first European country! This means, of course, that we are out of Asia... and it's kind of bittersweet.
Here are some things we'll miss:
Goodbye Asian hospitality.
Goodbye Ministry hosts.
Goodbye Asian Malls. Thanks for giving us a taste of America and lots of tiny clothes that will never fit us.
Goodbye South East Asian Beaches.
Goodbye Mountains.
Goodbye Monsoon Rainstorms.
Goodbye Chai Tea.
Goodbye delicious Chai cookies that you eat with Chai tea.
Goodbye crazy drivers who always keep us on our toes.
Goodbye Potato Crisps.
Goodbye Appy Fizz.
Goodbye mocha flavored Hide & Seeks.
Goodbye Night Markets where you can eat tarantulas, scorpions and snakes for like 25 cents.
Goodbye versatile and affordable healthcare.
Also goodbye Zumba in the park. If there's a park, there's a class every morning and evening... and if you try to participate, they'll ask you to come up to the front just because you're American.
Goodbye wildlife like tigers and monkeys and elephants, freakishly large bugs (that you eat in Cambodia and Thailand).
Goodbye monks, and seeing temples on every corner.
Goodbye Tuk tuks / motorbikes / cheap transportation.
Goodbye Asian t-shirts that make no sense in English.
Some things we won't be missing:
Cambodian heat.
The smell of burning trash always.
Pollution.
Squatty potties.
Being fed WAY TOO MUCH FOOD during home visits.
Having to take off your shoes before you go into a room.
Not having toilet paper in every bathroom (its always a gamble).
Sewer rivers.
Garbage waterfalls.
Being told you're fat because you're not an XXXS.. "We no have big size."
Asian night buses.
Overstuffed auto rides.
Sleeping in humidity with no AC, sweating everywhere.
Sleeping with bugs in your bed.
The many smelly smells of Asia.
No public trashcans ANYWHERE.
Stair steps not being even.
Taking a shower next to the toilet with no shower curtain.
Just the weird set up of bathrooms in general.
People taking selfies with you ALL THE TIME.
People peeing in public.
Men walking around in towels or with just their bellies hanging out.
Taxi drivers saying they know where they're taking you, but they don't, they get lost, then charge you extra.
Being charged extra for everything because we're Americans, so they assume we're rich. Little do they know, we're living on a right budget!
Here's some food that I will definitely miss!
India - Curry, dosa, chapati, butter chicken/paneer, biryani, Chai tea & cookies.
Nepal - Momos, hot lemon honey's, tumeric teas, delicious coffee shops.
Vietnam - Pho, milk coffee, delicious smoothies, drinking or of coconuts.
Cambodia - Fried tarantula / snake / scorpion / bat, sugar cane drinks.
Thailand - Pad thai, rambutan, mangostein, amazing fish, MANGO STICKY RICE, and a bunch of other foods!
Shoutout to all the treasurers and the currencies they had to deal with every month:
The Indian Rupee (65/$1)
The Nepali Rupee (103/$1)
The Vietnamese Dong (22,600/$1)
The Cambodian Riel (4,000/$1)
The Thai Baht (34/$1)
With love from Tirana, Albania
AnnaGrace