As we have been preparing to return to Zambia, I have sort of been creating a mental list of things that I will miss or not miss about living here and things that I am either looking forward to or not looking forward to about living in Zambia.
Here is my Top Ten list:
10. I most definitely will miss having a Caribou nearby. (One of the reasons I love Caribou is that it’s local…for the most part. But also, their coffee just tastes better than Starbucks – sorry, Starbucks fans!) After having a South African version of a latte, I would even settle for a Starbucks, but the closest one is in either Brazil, Turkey, or Greece (it’s a toss up).
9. I am really looking forward to living in a tropical place.
8. I am NOT looking forward to checking under toilet seats for spiders or cockroaches before sitting down or getting surprised by the 4-inch long grasshopper hiding under the shower head…after already starting my shower!
7. I am going to miss being at all my nieces and nephews’ birthday parties.
6. I am looking forward to my Bible reading coming alive from living in a culture more similar to the Bible’s.
5. I was going to say that I am going to miss driving on American roads, but after this winter and the ginormous potholes it left every few feet, I don’t know. But I will say that it is nice driving down the road without the possibility of hitting a goat, chicken, or stray cow.
4. I am looking forward to living amongst Zambians and learning from them. One thing (of many) I love about Zambians is their definition of “on time.” Let’s just say that it coincides very nicely with the Carlson definition of it, but even more so.
3. I will miss not going to Bethlehem every weekend for church.
2. I am looking forward to living in a place where it’s impossible to not think about eternity on a moment-by-moment basis.
1. I will NOT miss the bitterness of living in the path of an Arctic jet stream for 5 or 6 months out of the year and all the snow that comes with it.
Derek and Kristin Dearth 
Oh my gosh I LOVE this post! 🙂 Great list and GREAT picture of the mailbox! ha ha ha…Soooo, I have been trying to figure out how to come visit you next year, but now that I read about the whole "bug/cochroach/grasshopper/spider" thing, I'm going to have to reconsider…
Number 6 is my favorite, I think, though I appreciate all of them and can relate to most of them. 🙂 But I have a couple more to add to your list:11. I am looking forward to the wonderful Zambian staple food, nshima, with it's many relishes that don't have a recipe for an American to copy.12. I am NOT looking forward to being called "fat" as a compliment, even though it just means I am healthy and have enough money to eat on a regular basis.13. I am looking forward to receiving emails from family and friends back home and laughing out loud so that everyone around me wants to know what's going on, too.love you friendato! 🙂