Creature Comforts

I hate to take being abroad for granted. However, I hate that I took being home for granted. There are some things that one starts to miss when all of a sudden ones routine is changed drastically. While I know that Malta is not the desert, it does lack certain items that I find myself longing for day after day. One of these items is body lotion. I dont know if it there is something in the sea, or just in their tan skin, but it seems as if Maltese do not use this item, because I cannot find body lotion. All I want is a bottle of Vaseline body lotion. Or my Olay face lotion. Another thing I cannot wait to return to is sweatpants. Ahhh, sweatpants, the comfortable "athletic" pant made of cotton and fleece. Such a thing seems not to exist here. The same would go for the sweatshirt. Since i'm on the topic of pants, lets talk about pants. Pants are not made to fit people here. They seems to be made to be super tight on the leg, and big in the waist, or super tight in the waist and leg, or fit like mens pants, with the waist down to your butt, so while just walking or standing, your crack hangs out. I have given up on finding pants. Of all materials. European sizes are much smaller than they are here. Much. Even though some store claim to have a size 6 or size 14 American...they are really saying they have a size 0-4. I remain in my obviously American, flared leg jean.

I miss Quaker Apples and Cinnamon, lower sugar oatmeal, Wheat Thins, Hershey's Nuggets Toffee and Almonds candy, Coffee (big, steamy cups of actual coffee that doesn't taste like dirt), grilled cheese on sour dough bread made on my stove, and I never thought i'd say this, but...I MISS BEEF! The meat here has a slightly different taste to it, and while I cannot put my finger on it, its there, and its there enough to taste so completely different, that if I were here on fourth of July, I'd forgo the bbq and just drink beer.

But, I'm abroad. I think I can give up some things I am used to, to spend four months living in Europe.