Top 10 Lists

American late-night comedy host, David Letterman, is known for his "Top Ten" lists, counting down from ten to one. We don't see Letterman here, but as we prepare to leave England and head back to Iowa, we have our lists of things we'll miss and things to which we're looking forward.

Ten things I will miss when I leave England:

10. A small, tight-knit group of really great students
9. A climate with no extremes in weather
8. Cathedrals, manor houses & castles
7. Generic Nutella
6. Cell phones that work everywhere
5. Free universal health care
4. Scones with clotted cream
3. Efficient mass transit
2. New friends we've made
1. Pubs with real ale!

Ten things I'm looking forward to back in the U.S.:

10. No longer commuting 85 miles to work,
      as I did before we came to England
9. Being able to watch/stream U.S. TV shows
8. Houses that look different on the outside
7. Having our own home & car once again
6. Getting back into campus/class routine
5. Spoken words that include consonants
4. Telephones that don't charge tolls for local calls
3. Gasoline at less than half the European price
2. Driving on a comfortable side of the road
1. Seeing family & friends

Those are my Top Ten, some tongue in cheek, some not. Other's lists may vary. But the point is, as much as we look forward to going home, there are things here we will always be sad to have left behind.