We are now at the start of Week 3 of our month in Vietnam, just a little more than halfway, and I think it is safe to say that over the last few days, most (if not all) of us have started to feel a slight onset of homesickness. Mainly, I think it is food-related which is, of course, combined with missing our loved ones at home and, for me at least, other random luxuries. Here is a list of 10 things I do miss back home, some of the things (just by knowing me) you could probably guess…

1. CHEESE. Cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan….all of it. My mouth waters just thinking about opening the wrapper of even a basic Kraft Mild Cheddar cheese (you know, the one with the blue wrapping?) and slicing off a sliver! With team members from Canada, Argentina, Slovakia, Switzerland, the Netherlands, India, and Hungary the lack of tasty, quality cheese seems to be something that we all really miss. (Giordanos, I take back everything I said about your pizza being too cheesy…a slice of your deep dish pizza would be heaven right now!)

2. POTATOES. Again, if you know me, number 1 and 2 should not come as a surprise to you. I think my college diet consisted of baked potatoes piled with cheese or mmm Lays potato chips (it’s a surprise people still think I’m skinny) almost every day. There are french fries available in the “touristy area” of Hue and we have pretty much ordered them every time we are eating at one of these restaurants! We were also able to snag some overpriced Pringles after the beach yesterday…did you know they make a Seaweed variety here?

3. MEXICAN FOOD. I know, I know, the top 3 things on my list are foods, but I can’t help it. Guacamole, queso, salsa, picante, tacos, tortilla chips, pico de gallo, sour cream, black beans, enchiladas, burritos, margaritas, mojitos, and martinis! I may be a Chicagoan (which by the way, we hit our one-year anniversary of living Chicago this month!), but I can never get enough Tex Mex! Trudy’s, Taco Bell, Chipotle…where art thou?

4.   TELEVISION. Season and series finales for a number of shows including How I Met Your Mother and The Office are waiting for me in my room on my DVR. Yes, I am that behind…yes, I have read your Facebook statuses, and no, I cannot figure out a way to get to nbc.com or cbs.com. (The websites work, the videos do not) I will mention that we do get some English channels here – Disney, Cartoon Network, the Discovery Channel, HBO, Star Movies, CNN, and ESPN. The timings are awkward for shows like Game of Thrones (which I am two seasons behind anyway), but I have been able to catch some random movies like Bruce Almighty and Along Came Polly…

5. NETFLIX. Arrested Development came out this last weekend, and I can’t watch ANY of it! If you tell me anything about the new season, you might lose me as a friend.

6. THE GREAT GATSBY MOVIE. Sure, this might be old news to pretty much everyone reading this blog, (yes, I know Rotten Tomatoes only gave it a 50%) but I left Chicago one day before the movie was released. I am still excited to see my boys Leo, Amitabh Bachan, and Tobey Macguire acting in Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.

7. LAUNDRY. The hotel washes three pieces for us for free daily, but the detergents are harsh and don’t leave my clothes smelling artificially like a rainforest or spring day. It might be a small thing to care for, but it is still something I miss!

8. MY DATA PLAN. AKA Unlimited data on my cell phone. There have been times when Google Maps, Gmail, Facebooking, Twittering or just plain researching would’ve come in handy while away from the hotel wifi…I guess I can also add texting in general to this item. I don’t do it a lot, but being constantly in contact in family and friends would be nice =)

9. FACEBOOK. Chances are, you have accessed this link through my Facebook page so this might not make sense to you….but “technically” Facebook has been banned in Vietnam by the Government. As with everything in technology, there are “workarounds” which involve tunneling to an out-of-country network via VPN. So don’t worry, I can access it fine, I just have to waste thirty additional seconds for my VPN to connect.

10. FRIENDS & FAMILY. This goes without saying.

I do not mean this post as any sort of complaint, but more of an FYI in case you’re curious. I love my team here, we get along great, and I truly have developed meaningful friendships with each and every one of them.  In fact, the thought of having to part actually pains me and is definitely something that I do not want to think about right now. And, of course, let’s not forget, how gorgeous this country is and how wonderful and inviting the people are here. After all, I would never to get to see any of this in Chicago:

Goodnight for now =)