My parents took the family to Europe after I graduated from high school. We spent four weeks together in a Peugeot 4-door sedan, and to the best of my recollection I bitched and whined our way across the six countries’ borders we crossed. My jet-lag had manifested itself into a, “if I have to bring my own toilet paper into a public restroom one more time I’m writing a letter to the US embassy”, kind of home sickness. Never especially patriotic, I could be found humming the Star Spangle Banner randomly, like when I had to order off foreign menus without pictures.

Given my inability to embrace foreign cultures previously, I should have been somewhat wary to move to a TOTALLY FRIKIN’ FOREIGN culture like Mexico’s. But my travel amnesia must have weakened my resolve, made a decade or so ago in Europe, to never step off US soil again.

Fast forward to this morning.

I can’t even keep track anymore of the number of  “I want to go home” melt-downs, written and performed by me and attended by my long suffering husband. Yes, he nodded, “You are right Meredith, and the country of Mexico is wrong.” A little rest, apologies on my part, and a sandwich later and all’s right where it had all been so wrong only hours ago.

As part of my, “let’s get this day back on track”attitude, after I had abandoned my fight, I thought it would be helpful for me (if not self-indulgent) to list the things I miss about anywhere other than Mexico.Doing errands without dragging along 3 separate English/Spanish translation books.Doing errands without dragging along 3 separate English/Spanish translation books.

• Doing errands without having to drag along 3 separate English/Spanish translation books.
• Wearing shirts with sleeves
• American television
• Target
• Ice cream without vegetable oil as the third ingredient
• Family (the ones who still like me)
• My best girlfriends
• My Blackberry
• My down comforter
• Old Navy
• Wearing “dry clean only” clothes
• Beaujolais Nouveau
• The ability to argue my point to the deserving pain in the ass, no help, customer service dude at the cell phone counter
• The ability to access my cell phone voice mail
• Bacon