Sunday, September 11, 2011

Things I miss

I had dinner with a INSEAD friend's classmate yesterday, an Dutch native that's spent some time in the US, and he asked me an interesting question. "Is there anything that you miss?"

It's interesting to think about what things you really miss, even when in a very diverse/international city like Amsterdam. Of course, you'll always miss the company of people and friends that you have in your home town, but what "things" did I miss? Thinking of this gives one an interesting perspective on what is your core identity.

In no particular order, here are some of the things I missed:

  • Mexican food: this one is probably top of mind because I tried to find a recommended Mexican place this weekend (via dutchgrub.com food blog), but they were closed for vacation! I need to find my Casa Lupita!
  • NPR: this one surprised me, but on my weekends here, I really miss the voices, stories, and laughter from listening to weekend NPR programs like Car Talk or "Wait Wait, don't tell me". Luckily, there's podcasts or NPR streaming, and I'm actually listening to Weekend Edition Sunday right now, covering the 9/11 memorial service in NYC.
  • Long Drives in my car: this one is usually associated with NPR, since I'm often driving around on weekend errands, listening to NPR. I know this one doesn't seem very environmentally friendly, but sometimes it's really handy to have a car. I've done a lot on my bike over the past weeks (strapping groceries, pizza boxes, takeout onto to the back of my fiets), but sometimes you're just limited to how much (and how big) of things you can carry on the bike
  • Minnesota summers / State Fair: Those last days of summer in MN are really special, the last few long nights and warm evening weather, and the the fun/people watching associated with the state fair. Something to really savor before the weather turns to fall and winter.
On a more serious note, Sept 10, 2011 marks ten years of starting work after graduation, and Sept 11th, 2001 was my first true "working" day at Guidant. Spend some time today to honor those affected by that tragic day.

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