With a need to just get away from campus, do some work, collect my thoughts, have some independence, and fulfill a growling stomach at 10pm at night, I decided to go to the one place that no matter where you are in the world, you can almost count on being open 24 hours . . . McDonalds, haha. Ordering a burger w/ fries and coke from an American establishment was enough to put a smile on my face. Sure it has a few minor differences here, but overall it is the same. However, it is much cleaner and marketed as a popular hang out place, compared to a place to grab a quick bite for the sake of saving time or satisfying a 2am hunger grave after a night at the bar/club.
With that in mind, I never thought that being in a McDonald’s would make me feel a sense of pride about being an American. While munching on some warm, crispy fries and writing Chinese characters, it occurred to me that I come from a country that promotes the free flow of ideas that challenge the impossible by making them possible. I mean, here I am in a country that is exactly on the other side of the globe from my home in Florida and I have the privilege to get the same experience as if I were home. I am in sitting in an establishment that was thought of from Richard and Maurice McDonald, Americans. This is just one of many American corporations that you can find over the world. That being said, I don’t think a whole lot of other countries can say the same thing (at the very least it would be harder for others to say). Call it commercial imperialism if you want, but I call it opportunity . . . I call it making small ideas turn into big ideas and big ideas turning into reality. That is America, or at the very least what one of its meanings is to me.
While enjoying a small smooth Oreo McFlurry, I realized how much I missed the taste (I don’t eat at McDonald’s a lot), but the taste of Oreos (another American company) and ice cream made me think of all the things I do miss at home.
They are:
* My family
* My friends (especially the ones who have made efforts to keep in contact while my time abroad)
* My Truck! The freedom to get up and drive wherever I want to go.
* Boat days to the sandbar and just cruising around the blue intercostal
* Cooking and having home cooked meals or dinner parties
* Enjoying a good bottle of red wine with company on the couch, on the dock, or on the balcony at my apartment.
* Late night talks at my grandparents
* Occasional chats with my Aunt Debbie on the dock
* Occasional chats with my Aunt Gina and Uncle Jack in their kitchen
* Stopping by my brother’s house and my sister’s house to just say hi and chat over a beer or do yard work.
* The laughter of my niece and nephews and playing with them
* A REAL BURGER. . . a tender steak cooked medium-rare/medium
* New York Style Pizza that is not from a chain restaurant
* My morning coffee
* Sunday morning service at my church
* My morning trip to the inlet to enjoy my bagel
* Central A/C
* The gym
* My bathroom and reliable shower that turns hot when I want it to and cold when I want it to.
* Being able to converse (and have deep conversation) with anyone without a possible language or cultural barrier.
With those things listed, it is important to note that this list is not intended to offend anyone or the Taiwanese culture. If anything, rather than the things I miss, they are the things I have come to appreciate even more during my time here. For this experience and the Taiwanese culture has and is still continuing to show me new things, challenge me in new ways, and help me grow in places I was never aware of before.
Having stated all of that, I would like to point out the one thing though that I have found that no matter where life takes you, that you don’t have to miss because it and He is always with you . . . that is your faith. He genuinely is always with you and no matter where you go physically, mentally, or emotionally it (faith) and He is still there. You would have to try really hard to miss Him. I feel if you find yourself missing Him and your faith, it is only because you chose to leave Him (although he truly never left, you just stopped listening).
Sure, being away from home will cause you to miss things; I feel that is only normal. The difference is how you learn to adapt to not having these things we take for granted everyday. There are a good number of the other American students here that have seemed to burn out and are in a daily sense of homesickness. Have I felt homesick? Sure I have, but being here I have learned to rely more on faith and trust in Him more than I ever have. I understand that no matter where you go, that you can always take a piece of home with you. This can mean the difference between those who break down, those who are running from something, and those who face walls and continue to climb over them.
That being said, I will continue to jump over unexpected hurdles and climb towering walls. For I know that the things I miss now will be there when I return and that I will appreciate them even more when I have them back in my life. Until then, I will continue to hold onto the one thing that I can take with me anywhere, my faith and the appreciation of His presence and love.
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