Appreciating what you have.

I'm enjoying a vacation in France right now.  I met up with my dad and step-mom (Christine) and it's been really great to see them.  We have been mastering the Paris metro system and being tacky tourists but it's been a ton of fun so far.  I was a little bit panicked that my first outing into westernized, modern society after almost 2 years would leave me either making a huge fool of myself in public or hyperventilating in the corner. Luckily, neither of those has really happened.  Yeah, it's weird to me that every other person is on her iPhone and they are carrying around other devices I've never even seen.  But overall it doesn't feel as strange as I had anticipated, maybe because I know it's only vacation from that other life I've gotten so used to.

I am seeing now that there are some things that I can look forward to about being back in America in just a few months (eek!) but other things that Madagascar definitely does much better.  Here's a short list.

Awesome things about the western world:

• Hot, running water.
• Running, drinkable water.
• Laundry machines.
• Hot tubs. (Okay, so I really only see these at nice hotels but I can say they are great!)
• Fast, efficient public transport that doesn't make you fear for your life and even when crowded isn't really that crowded.
• My family, friends, and easy communication with them.
• Grocery stores and all the food that is in them.
• Restaurants with efficient waitstaff and where everything on the menu is available.
• Not sticking out in every single crowd.

Things to enjoy in Madagscar while I still can:

• Sunlight and warm weather.
• Tropical fruits.
• Not feeling like everyone is rushing off somewhere else as fast as possible all the time.  (If someone could offer some insight into where everyone is in a hurry to get to, it would be really helpful to me.)
• Not having mirrors everywhere.  (Okay, so I could probably stand to check how I look before I leave the house in Madagascar more often, but I don't need to see myself in every other building I go into.  You, lady primping in the mirror beside that amazing piece of art, should probably stop.)
• Knowing the local language.  (I'll get this in America too, but in France I am a bit of a dummy.  I've already spoken Malagasy to multiple waiters.)
• Not having human interactions interrupted by people checking their phones every 5 minutes.
• Living somewhere where everybody really does know my name, and they are always glad I came.

Well I'm sure there's always more that could be added, but I'm off to enjoy the things on the first list while I still can!