Things I like about NL...

Yes, I am in Middelburg again for about a week. Although I have to honestly say that I do miss Sierra Leone. I suppose after 5+ years it really has become home. I miss my flat, the work, my friends, my colleagues, the sun, the liveliness, etc. However, having said that, it’s good to have a break, I’m just happy it’s not a very long one.

So, what do I like about being back? The obvious answer is seeing my sister, brother-in-law and my adorable nieces. One of my nieces has been sick, which is not fun for her, but it’s meant I’ve seen a lot more of her over the past few days! The three of them are a fun bunch and it’s always great to spend time with them. I’ll miss them when I go back for sure.

There are of course more things I like about being back:
1. Seeing friends. (although there are many people I won’t see since I’m only here for a week – sorry!)
2. Riding a bike. I rode a bike yesterday with one of my nieces on the back. Dropped her off at school, and then went to town to do some shopping before picking my niece up again. The freedom of bike riding.
3. Normal traffic. Traffic lights. Stop signs (that people abide by). Bike paths. Crosswalks.
4. Walking. I love the fact that I can go for a walk on my own and not be ‘bothered’ by anyone. No one hissing at me. No one yelling ‘white man, white man’. No one saying ‘will you be my friend’. No one asking for my phone number. Nothing. Just me. Walking.
5. Sidewalks. Which also make the walks much nicer.
6. Food. I actually don’t feel like I miss much, food-wise, when in Sierra Leone, except for more of a variety of food. It’s not until I get back to Holland that I realize there are foods I really like and don’t have in SL – tortillas, cheese, yoghurt, chocolate chip cookies, kiwis, grapes.
7. Milk. Fresh. Cold. Milk.
8. Shopping. Buying basic things like shampoo, contact lenses, etc and of course looking for the odd summery item of clothing in a shop (in winter time!).
9. Internet. Fast internet. People here might complain that it’s slow, but they don’t know slow. This is great.
10. Skype. Thanks to fast internet, I can actually skype with friends/family. YAY.
11. Water. Running freely. Cold. Hot. Lots of it.
12. Shower with great pressure. Enough said.
13. Quiet nights. I’m so thankful not to have to listen to loud music at 3 am in the morning. Although I have to say I do miss hearing Emerson and some of the Nigerian tunes during the day.
14. Well-kept dogs. Again, so nice not to have to hear dogs at midnight. And not to have to worry about getting rabies when walking past them.
15. There’s more I’m sure but this list will have to do for now.