Before getting ready to leave our mission, we decided to make some fun lists of we would be happy to get back to, things we would miss about the mission, and things we wouldn't miss about living abroad.
Things we will be glad to get back to:
• taco bus
• Rexburg water
• garbage disposal
• our big kitchen
• spacious home
• our children and grand children
• certain cooking ingredients
• ease of shopping
• good prices
• clean air
• ease of parking
• special friends
• free highways
• America--WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY!
• living in a house
• our backyard
• trees and greenery around our living space
• eating on our deck
• sculpture studio
Things we will not be glad to come back to:
• constant sports on tv (one of us)
• politics
• phone ringing all the time
• political correctness
• protests
• anti-religious sentiment
• politicians, actors, athletes who think they are more important than everyone else
Things we won’t miss about living abroad:
• dog poop, spit, cigarette butts and trash on the sidewalks
• sewer smells
• city noise
• driving in traffic
• parking (or lack thereof)
• no space
• dumped furniture by receptacle bins
• tiny kitchen, no counter space
• tiny streets
• being away from family
• zoom conferences
• price of gas, food, everything
• bringing bags to grocery store
• paying for shopping carts
• long lines everywhere
• air pollution
• nasty water
• paying for clean water
• paying for parking and bathrooms
• French salsa and catsup
• French Mexican food (or lack thereof)
• honking
• beggars, les SDF’s (homeless) especially little children
• French shrug
• out-to-dinner pace
• separate toilet and bathroom
• everyone smoking
And now the longest list of all—What we will miss about living in France:
• bakery smells
• marchés
• cheeses
• breads
• chaussons aux pommes
• churches
• 100’s of years of history
• amazing people
• fresh fish
• little cute kids speaking French
• Christmas marchés
• Restaurants of every kind
• Écully ward members
• young missionary Elders and Sisters
• not so young missionaries—great Senior couples
• missionary bond and strength and inspiration
• mantel of missionaries
• missionary plaque
• auto route stops
• buying European presents for grandkids
• drivers who move to the right
• round- abouts
• driving through cool little towns
• brocants
• sale, sucré
• ingrediants for French dishes—raclette, tartiflette
• french butter and cream
• pastries
• beautiful fruits and vegetables
• les soldes (sales)
• wacky styles of clothing- the diversity
• adventure of just walking around the city
• the 2 rivers in Lyon- the Rhône and the Saône
• view of Fourvière Cathedral and angel “Marioni”
• architecture
• beautiful window displays
• cobble stone streets
• grape juice
• regional specialties and fierce regional pride
• pharmacies and pharmacists who are medical consultants
• fast medical help
• French shrug
• watching movies in French
• little mountain villages
• French hospitality
• 3-7 course meals
• pace of going out to dinner
• showing visitors Lyon
• learning new French words and phrases
• how missionaries are needed and used in wards
• new convert baptisms
• international flavor of people
• French primary-playing piano
• JAS- Single Young Adults
• Home Evening with Single Adults in our ward
• teaching gospel essentials/ beginning French Sunday School class
• social gatherings and trips with other Senior missionaries
• inspiring meetings and conferences with other missionaries
• French money, coins
• constant ways to serve others
• bises (kisses on the cheek as a greeting)
• chateaux
• feeling of doing something important, always contributing
• FRANCE—we love this country!
• parking angels
• special mission blessings
• café terrace eating—eating outdoors
Cathedrals of Fourvière and St. Jean
