Our miss list

I certainly don't want to complalin about life here.  All in all, things here are going great.  We have all adjusted well to life in Burundi, and we are truly enjoying this time.  However, I would be lying if I said there were not some things that we missed about life back home.  So here it is, our "miss list":

Greg's miss list:

1. Family and friends - this is far and away the thing we miss most.  We are grateful for all the new friends we have made here, but we still miss, everyday, our parents, our friends and our church.

2. Consistenly running water - recently there has been an issue with our well, and so most days we have had very little running water.  And yes, I am beginning to emit a foul odor.

3. Consistent electricity - this has gotten better since the rainy season began (we have hydroelectric electricity).  But for the first several weeks, it seemed like we had more time without electricity than we did with it.

4. Fast internet - The slowness of our internet has certainly caused me to be less consumed by internet, which is probably a good thing, but still I miss my addiction.

5. Fabric softener - yes, I like my socks and undies to be soft and supple, and if loving this is a crime then lock me up and throw away the key.

6. Being able to hop in a car and run to the store or to Lake Padden.

7. Understanding people when they try to speak to me.

8. My bed.

9. My dog (we had to have Summit put to sleep before we left)

10. Scotch

What I miss from work:

1. Having more than 2 options to give patients for anesthesia (at home I have 3!)

2. Being able to give patients the medications they need to be comfortable (and sometimes to survive)

3. Clean toilettes

4. Understanding people when they try to speak to me.

5. Working suction

6. All the Skagit Valley Hospital nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists.

7. Purell

8. An operating room without flies.

9. Having an intestive care unit to send patients to when they are critically ill.

10. Scotch

Steph's miss list:

1. Running lake Padden with friends, I miss the beauty, I really miss the talks.

2. My Thursday morning Bible studies, and the ladies who got up at 5 am to grow with me.

3. Jumping in the shower without pausing to kill the critters that have crawled up from the drain

4. Flipping a switch & having a light come on, and then stay on without flickering. Not a huge fan of fluorescent lighting.

5. My bathtub

6 . A glass of wine, especially ones drunk on the front porch while talking to my favorite neighbor.

7. Being able to go out and not be stared at.

8. My stove, and the fact that it doesn't take matches to light it.

9. Wearing pants

10. My pillow!