So, as my time here in the US is coming to a close, I think of a few little things I will miss about this country…

1. Mexican Fast Food & Supermarkets:

To my friends unfamiliar with US foods, Mexican food is everywhere in the Southwest here, like I mean everywhere! (There’s probably 20+ on this street alone) I suppose I am actually more familiar with Mexi-cali foods to be honest (I don’t want to offend any Mexicans reading). My Australian friends just would not believe the selection of Mexican foods you can find, particularly in California & Arizona. There is always a good vegetarian selection, bold flavours, salads, cheesy dishes, bean dishes… & my favourite part of all…

The Salsa Bar! A lesson to the Aussies & Kiwis reading, this is something you’ll find in pretty much every Mexican joint over here. It is a self-serve bar filled with a selection of salsas, pickles, chilies & if you’re lucky guacamole. I’m one of those people that grabs a container (or 3) of each one. Just picture me at Baja Fresh with a plate of tortilla crisps going backwards & forwards to the salsa bar. I could stay there all day. Man I’m gonna miss that.

2. US Driving Style:

Speeds- Now, I’m no speed demon exactly, but I have now spent more time on US roads than I ever did on Australasian roads. That means I’m now very accustomed to their style of driving & speeds. When driving on main roads & freeways you can drive over 120kms/hr a lot of the time. That is considered insanely fast by Australian & New Zealand standards. Even the general “suburban” speeds are a hell of a lot faster than other countries. American drivers are used to these speeds & really are better drivers for it no doubt. Just watch LA drivers; they weave in & out constantly & follow very close. Now, I’m not saying these are good driving practices, but just the fact that these drivers are able to do this is pretty amazing to watch.

Right on a red- “Wha?” you say? Well, in the US you’re allowed to make a right turn even if the light is red. It’s more like a “give way” situation. I really like this rule & am gonna miss it.

3. Customer Service:

American customers are incredibly demanding (no offense dudes) but it has created a customer service standard that is impeccable. When you’re in a store you can expect to be greeted every time on entry. At food places they will be very precise with your order, wish you a good day, provide anything you ask & top up your drink when it’s half full.

That brings me to…

4. Drink Refills:

This is standard in the US. Everywhere has free drink refills on soda, coffee & iced tea (Yes, iced tea is also standard at the soda stand). Even convenience stores & gas stations will offer a discounted refill price if you bring in your cup again.

5. Diverse Landscape:

Now, I know Australians will want to argue this one. True, Australia’s landscape is almost as diverse as the US, but the difference is distance. In Australia you would have to travel thousands of miles to see the diversity. In America, California in particular, you can go from snow to desert to forest to the beach all within a day. It’s absolutely incredible. No matter what your mood is you can find it for a day-trip.

6. 99c Stores:

Now, there is nothing even close in Australia/NZ to the “99c Only Stores” over here. Hear this, I can buy fruit, vegetables, pretty much all my groceries items there, housey stuff, toys, toiletries, everything. From a carton of eggs to badminton sets, you can buy everything for only 99c. This week we got punnets of blueberries & soy chorizo even!

7. Fall:

There may be parts of Australia down south that experience the seasons different to my experience in QLD, I’m not sure, but it feels like Australia doesn’t show the 4 seasons as strong as America. Fall is such a beautiful time of year over here, watching the trees go through all the colour stages is wonderful.

8. Holidays:

Halloween- Australia has attempted to adopt Halloween in areas, but has nothing on the American Halloween. It is so damned festive you couldn’t ignore it if you tried. Every house’s front porch has a jack o’ lantern, the lawns are covered in decorations, kids are running around the neighbourhood on a crazy sugar high. It’s such a fun holiday, I will really miss it.

Thanksgiving- Last year I celebrated my first thanksgiving, as we don’t have it in Australasia. While I’m still learning the history of the holiday it was hard to not get caught up in festivities. Closely following Halloween & soon followed by Christmas it feels like the holiday season never ends. The stores are full of pumpkins & good food, the locals yell “Happy holidays” at you & it’s kinda impossible to feel miserable amongst it all.

White Christmas- While we were in motels at that point it was really hard to make “home” feel Christmasy (I’m a sucker for decorations & the big meal etc). We didn’t even make a good meal, but what was special was experiencing a white Christmas. We were actually in California at the time & they had an unseasonably cold winter, with snow falling where there shouldn’t be. While some locals complained, this was amazing for us. We made snowmen & drove about the streets just staring at the beautiful white. I will have awesome memories from our first Christmas in America.

9. The Accents:

Going from city to city you will notice different accents in the US. It’s been great learning all the different sounds & pronunciations.

10. The American Personalities:

They’re boisterous, chatty, loud & opinionated & I like it. Even just walking through the supermarket you end up in conversation as fellow shoppers comment on your basket contents or what you’re wearing. Australians (& even more so New Zealanders) seem so introverted & quiet by comparison. When I first arrived in the US I found these traits quite funny, comical & I wasn’t confident interacting with everyone constantly, but I came to love it quite quickly. I’m probably going to get chat-withdrawals when I leave.

This is such a generalization, it may even sound offensive, but it’s just my observation & I say it all with love.

11. American TV & Hulu:

Americans probably don’t realize how many media websites are only able to be accesed from within the country. So, when we leave we will lose Hulu.com & the Sci Fi Channel site (now syfy), where we can watch all the tv shows we want whenever we want as soon as they’re aired on tv. Australia is quite behind on a few of our favourite shows, so unless you wanna get illegal it means waiting a long time for some things to get to Australian television (& some things may not make it at all). I will also miss understanding pop culture references, localized jokes in media & seeing big celebrities in commercial ads (Bill Shatner on the funny Priceline ads, hearing Keifer Sutherland’s voice on all the Bank Of America ads etc)

There are tonnes of other little things I’ll miss that I’ve forgotten to list. Maybe I’ll add to it as I think of them…