Things I will miss

As promised. To be clear, many of these are food items that are probably available at home (or I could make at home), but certainly not as easily. Also, some items (#26) are very available in Portland but not available at all in Walla Walla. So you may have to do some guessing work as to where I will be missing each item.

1. chorizo
2. jamon iberico
3. pan con tomate
4. tapas
5. walking to school through a bustling metropolis
6. hearing at least four different languages most days
7. always having at least seven different concerts I could (conceivably) go to each night
8. patatas bravas... french fries will never be the same. Nor will ketchup.
9. palm trees (weird, right? What am I, Californian?)
10. being of legal drinking age... OH WAIT, I WILL BE TOMORROW!
11. dressing up all the time (yet never as well-dressed as the Catalanes)
12. using a hand towel as a toilet seat cover
13. tortilla espanyola
14. learning new words every time I try to do ANYTHING
15. being able to bogart tables at restaurants for as long as you feel like it
16. being able to go to a restaurant and order nothing but a soda (and then, because of #15, stay for three hours)
17. the ability to go anywhere I want using nothing but public transportation (and occasionally my feet)
18. being constantly interrupted by protests (it's sort of endearing)
19. shops that stay open until 10 (or 11)
20. seeing different people every day, even on the same path at the same time
21. ColaCao (I may be bringing this home. It's like Spanish Ovaltine)
22. breathtaking (and often weird) architecture on every block
23. bakeries on every corner
23a. fresh bread every day
24. chocolate con churros
25. techno music
26. falafel
27. tiny, old people everywhere, usually complaining, but always well-dressed
28. an interest in sport, singular (I would say "sports" but I don't see anyone following anything but futbol)
29. los punkis
29a. mullets & mohawks
29b. super short bangs
29c. brightly colored skinny jeans
30. the accent ("pero que di(th)es")
31. the old men that play a weird bocce-like game in the park I pass on my way to school
32. a clean, efficient, on-time metro system with a countdown to the next train (ok, Portland's got clean and on-time, but I love these timers. They never lie.)
33. euros - they are color-coded AND size-coded. Have you ever considered the fact that a blind person couldn't tell a $1 bill from a $20 bill? Well, they couldn't.
34. cafe con leche
35. good quality vino and cava for less than 7 euros a bottle
36. GAUDI and Parc Guell
37. my wonderful friends here
38. my KICKASS host family
39. our proximity to the metro, the grocery store, the bakery, cafes, bars, and everything else I could ever need
40. no one bothering themselves with me, ever
41. HARLEM JAZZ CLUB
42. sangria
43. meeting people from all over the world (recently: Sweden, France, Argentina, Ecuador)

I'll keep thinking... I'm sure there are more.