[STCrowley]

If you hadn't written 'the most' this would be an easy question. I'd just write a list of about a hundred thousand things. But I think I have a guess. . .

Let me preface this, though, by saying that I'm happy living in Germany and that I'm well aware that the positive side of the experience outweighs the negative side of the experience. I'm also glad to be living in the age of jet travel--when my great-grandparents moved to the U.S., they couldn't visit their homelands anymore.

Still, the thing I miss the most is this: being normal.

I miss not having an accent. I miss not being introduced as "Toby, from America. . ." At home I'm introduced as "My friend Toby" or "Toby, my brother. . ." or even "Toby, that guy I was telling you about." All of that reflects a lot more on me than "Toby, the guy who's vaguely interesting because he's from far away."

Other things I miss are American, superficial, disposable friendships. Sure, real friendships are better, but I haven't found any real friends here, yet. . . and I'd be glad to have someone to go for beer with.

I'll be visiting my parents in a few weeks and I'll be bringing 'home' some strange stuff from home: Bisquick, Cake frosting, three seasons of 'The Wire' on DVD (I don't know why I didn't buy them all the last time I was home--if you get a chance, watch that show), kids' books, and cheap used books. (I love Salvation Army books.)

This turned into a rant. And I'm genuinely sorry for that. (Not enough to edit it, you might notice.) What does everyone else miss?