Number 41: Real Milk Tea

I've been here for too long. I missed my niece's fourth birthday party this saturday and I internally sulked at the fact I couldn't be there to paint faces or dress up like some cool character that she would remember forever. Yeah 3amee, I'm definitely jealous I wasn't there and this doesn't make you anyone's favourite, alright?

And it's a wednesday and I'm feeling funny and the only thing that's keeping me going is that in exactly one month I will be back home. Awesome eh? I can't wait. All I can think of is how I'm going to spend lot's of time attaching myself to various people I've missed over the past year and how much crap I'm going to bring back with me. Coldstores and supermarkets beware: Sara is coming back - no jar of PUCK cheese will be safe.

List of things I miss about home:

1. Not scrubbing limescale off anything.
2. Constant sunshine - no better way to wake up
3. Mum's food and funny ways.
4. Mum. And Dad. And my brothers and my sisters and my neice.
5. Playing pretend with my niece and having her "read" me stories. I even miss it when she corrects me if I skip something - I miss her bossiness and her hugs.
6. Being woken up in the early morning to have breakfast with everyone in the house before they go to work. Watching my sister fuss over herself in the mirror in the kitchen before she leaves, my brother drink his chocolate milk/banana milk/coffee milk. Mum reading the newspaper absent mindly and Dad asking about the expiry dates over everything on the breakfast table (but still eating it all).
7. Meeting friends in 15 minutes all the time - wherever we are.
8. Late night runs to Burgerland for Shawarma
9. Making nice dinner plans and not having to pay more than 15 squids for it, ever.
10. Reading the GDN and tearing apart the crossword puzzle.
11. Driving over to Saar for a lazy afternoon - I love morning drives on empty roads because I have yet to experience the horrendous traffic everyone speaks of.
12. Making cakes that someone will eat
13. Even when there's "nothing to eat at home" the kitchen is still overflowing with goodies to munch on.
14. Honking your horn outside a coldstore, buying something and then waving my "Thank You" - I know the asian men appreciate it as much as I appreciate their service.
15. Hong Kong on a Friday - even if the food isn't as good as it used to be and most of the staff have changed. It's the principle of it, and the Baskin Robbins ice cream that must follow afterwards.
16. Long drives and the talks that go along with it.
17.Never getting the style but loving it anyway.
18. Hearing the label "So Bahraini" and how people always want to be different than that. It makes me smile, some people who live in Bahrain just can't accept the fact that you are what you are.
19. Lgaimat and Mihyawa
20. Taking your shoes off before you walk in anywhere, such a sign of respect people in the rest of the world lack.
21. Space. Spacious cars. Spacious Houses. Spacious streets. OPEN SPACE.
22. Going over to my gran's and finding more kids than I remember being born running around and causing general ruckus.
23. Formalities in the Arabic Language.
24. Stopping to say hello to people and not having to rush off anywhere else.
25. Being able to rent any DVD that's out before than in the UK. Hah, beat that Blockbusters and your crummy, crummy selection of movies.
26. 500 fils coins and notes, either, and the value that they have.
27. Al Jazeera Supermarket for stocking Lucky Charms and Count Chocu-ula.
28. Buildings, Tall Buildings =)
29. Swimming and Beach Days and the smell of the sun
30. Coming home somewhere nice and getting hugs for it. I miss you, crazy family.

That's it. I can't come up with any more or else I'll start balling my eyes out to poor Meredith who won't know what hit her.

One month, folks!