What I Expected To Miss, But Don't

There are some things I knew I was going to miss when I came to Greece, like the subway. There are also things that I didn't realize I was going to miss, like coffee to go. There are also things that I didn't expect to miss and don't miss at all, like the Bush administration. And finally, here are the things that I thought I would miss, but don't, as it turns out.

1) English as the Dominant Language
I was hanging out with some American students one night in December, and one of them mentioned that she wanted to share a cab home with me, because she found it difficult to deal with non-English speaking cabdrivers. "Funny," I thought, "I wonder why I don't really have a problem with cabdrivers that don't speak English?" Then I realized that I grew up in a place where the cabdrivers don't speak English...and neither do a significant portion of the inhabitants. Actually, between all the Greek English speakers and my bits and pieces of Greek, maybe I'm more likely to have common vocabulary with the people I meet here than I do back home in New York. I'm hardly fluent, but I'm functioning well enough to communicate in Greek when I need to...and the Greeks generally can communicate in English whether they need to or not.

2) American Movies
Although I would like some more afternoon showtimes, I have to applaud the Greeks for consistently using subtitles instead of dubbing. I suppose I could have gotten through King Kong in Greek; after all, most of the action involved giant creatures attacking one another in various combinations, and it's always useful to learn phrases like "Help, Help, a giant monkey!" in as many languages as possible. But Pride and Prejudice in Greek, well, that would be a wrench. Plus, subtitles actually do help me learn.

3) Casual Clothes
I expected Greek women to be all glamorous, fashionable and intimidating, and I expected to look like a total slob next to them. Well, they are, and I do, but I find that I really don't care much. They look better on the outside, but I don't smoke or wear heels, so I will definitely outrun everyone when the aforesaid giant monkey attacks us. Plus, I think it's too late for me to develop a reputation for style; not only would the kids be surprised, but I can picture everyone I know back home looking at me curiously as if to say "haven't you outgrown dress-up games by now?"

4) Being In School
I am, of course, still in school, as a both as a teacher type-person and a student-type person. However, I really thought I was going to miss being a full-time undergrad, with classes and papers to write and credits to accumulate. However, I must say, it's nice to have a breather. Especially since I can use my free time to do all the pleasure reading that I like, and I'm never up until 3am finishing assignments.