Top Ten Things I Miss About America

10) Access to information: Businesses have websites. Restaurants have menus online. You can get directions easily. There are advertisements for events and locations.

9) Sports: They are shown at a decent hour and they are always on. Can I get some SportsCenter?!?!

8) Busy streets: Busy with people, not with cars. Walking through cities and towns that have life on the sidewalks was amazing.

7) Walking: Being able to conveniently walk through “town” or take public transportation from one place to the next is glorious.

6) Stress Free Driving: Being able to get from point A to point B while knowing exactly how to get there and not being cut off every mile is such a joy. And this comes even after driving in New York for a week. Driving in Doha is mental.

5) Young people: Going out in a place like Arlington or Washington DC reminds me of just how many young professionals there are in the area. It is much harder to connect to that network of people in Doha but progress is being made

4) Democracy and Social Issues: While I was in the US the Supreme Court started to debate Prop 8 to allow same sex marriage. I am proud to be from a country that values openly challenging norms and advocating for equal rights of people.

3) Family: You only have one, and being so far away is difficult. You miss a lot (family holidays, time with grandparents, birthdays, etc) but it feels great to pick up where you left off.

2) Friends: Friendships take a long time to build and nothing feels better than reconnecting with those people who know you so well.

1) Talking to strangers: Whether it is a cab driver, cashier, someone in line, or someone on the street. It felt amazing to be able to connect easily with strangers around me because of speaking a common language. It makes you feel connected to the world around you.