A few things I'll miss

There are a few things that we take for granted now that I will miss about life in Taiwan. For my own record and memories, I'll list a few of them:

--The kids' lunches at school. There are few things better for a working mom than being able to send your young kids off to school without lunch and knowing that they'll be fed well. The lunches and snacks are just amazing, from an American lunch and snack standard. Just to give you a sense, today Noah is having taro cakes and papaya for am snack, braised pork loin, tofu noodles, vegetables and turnip soup for lunch, and dumplings for pm snack. Ben gets waffles and soy milk for am snack, stir-fried noodles, chicken soup and guava for lunch. All we needed to do is to wash the three stainless steel bowls and spoons to send them back with Noah every morning.

--Fruits. Every single overseas Taiwanese misses the selection of fruits. Guavas, java apples, loquat, Buddha's head (Shih-jia), lichee, melons, citrus, you name it. With good fruits comes inexpensive fresh squeezed juices of all kinds sold on every other block.

--Customer service. Salesperson are generally helpful and very friendly, though it's not a good feeling to know that most are overworked and underpaid.

--Convenient location and biking to work and to markets. I know I'll miss the feel of living in a university campus, though now our Arlington house feels huge and so cozy in comparison. A single family house is an unattainable luxury for most people in most places. For now, I definitely don't have any urge to make our house larger--we've got plenty of space already!

--Cheap and good haircuts! For $10 you get a really good cut, for an additional $3 or 4 you get a thorough wash with head and neck massage. Why not while you have it!!

--Traditional markets. I've talked about this one earlier already.

--Mild winter, or lack thereof. Well... winters are not so bad, but being able to go for a hike and catch bugs in mid January is not such a bad idea.

Just a random assortment for fun. Of course there are many things I miss about the US, like the respect for pedestrians, orderly driving, tranquility and fresh air of parks, ample space. But knowing that I am in Taiwan only temporarily makes me anticipate the loss more than welcoming the comfort and familiar.