4 Things American

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I think its been 5 years since I celebrated my last 4th of July in the States, so in honor of the holiday today, here are 4 things American that I miss after nearly 3 years of living abroad! 

1.  Target.  I usually visit Target within 24 hours of landing in the US every time I go.  Sure there are knock-off Targets in other countries, but I have yet to find one that compares!  I could spend hours looking in each and every department; I especially love their homeware. 

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2.  S'mores.  I never knew how "American" s'mores were until I realized that most people don't know what they are outside the US!  For those that don't know, they are best prepared over a campfire;  graham cracker-melted marshmallow-Hershey's chocolate bar-sandwiches.  Hits the spot. 

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3.  Movie theaters.  Ok, its not that where I live there aren't movie theaters, but they just aren't the same!  I miss the overly buttery jumbo sized American popcorn, the clarity of the screens, and seeing movies on their actual release date!  In the DR it usually takes 4-6 months for movies to arrive.. 

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4.  Drive-thru's.  How lazy do I sound?  Its not that I want to buy fast food on the run every day, but Americans, do you realize how much a Starbucks drive-thru is taken for granted!?!  Oh, what I would do to have an iced coffee drive-thru!  :)

Happy 4th! 

Guest Post: How to Survive Island Time

An average Sunday..

Today I wrote about how to survive island time over at Glocal Girl.  

Check out my post here! 

My favorite place..

Guest Post: 3 Things Quintessentially European

Glocal Girl has been my all time favorite blog since I first started reading blogs, so I'm thrilled to have her today.  Thanks for your post, Mia!

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Hi Travelling Gypsy readers! I’m Jeanelle from Glocal Girl and am so excited to be guest posting for Tia today. Tia and I met our first day of grad school in Barcelona and give our American roots, became fast friends from that point on. Ever since I moved to the Netherlands in 2010, and her to the DR, I’ve missed being in the same city dearly.

Today I decided to share 3 Things Quintessentially European. I’ve always had a draw to Europe since I was young, but never imagined that I would actually live here for as long as I have. So far I’ve had the privilege to live, study and work in Spain, Italy and the Netherlands and whilst they are each unique in their own respects, I think there are a few commonalities which have influenced why I love living abroad.

1. Long Meals 

Americans are notorious for their hasty (albeit superb) customer service but as a result I think that we really rush our way through one of the most wonderful opportunities to connect with loved ones. In Europe you can never be at a table “too long”, and in fact are encouraged to eat, drink, smoke and drink again to your heart’s content. (Tourists don’t think that it’s bad customer service if you have to request for the bill, no one ever pushes you out here!)

2. Affordable Travel

Given the close proximity of Belgium, Switzerland and France to the Netherlands, I’ve had the opportunity to visit many new cities on short notice. Weekend getaways are possible with the convenience of the rail system and if you research budget stays on sites such as airbnb.com or travelzoo.com, it becomes quite affordable too. This ability to explore different types of cultures, foods and lifestyles is something I don’t think I’d ever tire of.

3. Beautiful Languages

Like food, different and mysterious languages can always be heard on the street. The internationalism of Amsterdam makes it possible to hear German, Italian, Russian and Turkish natives everywhere you turn. I love the melodic tones of the Latin languages and although am struggling to learn Dutch everyday, appreciate the strong guttural tendencies of this Germanic language.

Thanks for having me, Tia! 

You can read more about my European adventures on www.glocalgirl.com 

or follow me daily on Twitter @GlocalGirl!

Summer Resolution: A Good Morning

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Today I woke up before my alarm.  That never happens.  It was sunny outside and raining at the same time - I love it when its like that!  At the start of the day, I'm usually the type of person to hit my snooze button 3 times, roll out of bed at the last minute and rush out the door about 15 minutes after that.  Mornings are rarely leisurely for me.  But today was different.  I jumped out of bed and told boyfriend that I wanted to leave early to stop at a local cafe, and for some reason he went along with my unusual morning request. 

We popped into Antica and had ham & cheese croissants while I ooh-ed and ahh-ed at all the bakery sweets.  It was nice to do something that early and have the shop all to ourselves. It got me thinking about how sometimes I wish I was a "morning person" who finds the time to make a full breakfast or stop somewhere for cup of coffee.  I've decided it will be my summer resolution to wake up early..  Once a week, for starters. 

Are you a morning person?  

How do you usually start your day? 

What I Learned Yesterday

Yesterday I learned: 

- To stop eating debatable food considering that I live in a 3rd world country. 

- That ER nurses don't plan on telling you if they're about to stick a big needle in your bum, nor do they mention what its for. 

-That I would go crazy as a stay at home individual.

Let me explain why. 

On Sunday we went to a BBQ outside the "city", where the quality of the meat could be considered questionable, if anything.  Now, I'm super paranoid when it comes to nearly expired refrigerated food, but I consider myself quite daring when it comes to eating food in the street here, after all, I ate this fish in a random village and enjoy frio frio on the beach when the source of the ice is unknown.  How this makes sense?  Beats me.  So of course I enjoyed this meaty BBQ and drank lots of rum.  And after 10 months of living here I finally got food poisoning for my care free mistake.  4 AM was not fun and involved the hospital.  Lesson learned.  Moving on.

I spent the day at home, reading blogs, writing emails, translating a law document, reading 50 Shades.  But at 7 PM the craziness set in.  I needed to get out of the house no matter how nauseous I still felt!  So off to the Juice Bar we went, where I slurped down all the fibery fruit that the doctor told me not to consume.  And then I felt nauseas again.  So maybe I still haven't learned.  But boy was it delicious.

{His & Hers}