And the winner is... [by Anna]

So I just got back from a short trip to Oslo. I met this lady in the plane from Lisbon to Oslo. I was very tired after having slept two nights vertically – first on the bus from Jeri to Fortaleza and then on the plane from Fortaleza to Lisbon and she was what in Norwegian you would call “pratesyk” or chatty, I guess. Anyhow, I did talk to her a bit before I passed out again. She was from Porto Alegre and she lived in Ålesund and she had a charming Ålesund accent. I told her that I had moved to Brazil and she became very nostalgic and started telling me that she really enjoys living in Norway, although it sounded like she was rather trying to persuade herself and not me. 

Oslo was gorgeous, Indian summer. I hadn’t felt like leaving when I was sitting at the bus stop in Jeri waiting for my “jardineira” in the beginning of the long trip, and in Oslo I felt like I had never left and one month in Jericoacoara had never happened. It got me thinking about this lady again and about what I miss in Europe and what I miss in Jeri, so I decided to put my own pros and cons list. Here it is.

I miss: 

-           Stable phone line and internet connection

-           Shower that is not permanently attached to the wall

-           Washing machines that heat up the water (yes, here in Brazil it’s cold water clothes washing only)

-           Sleeping in a cold room under a warm heavy blanket

-           Having no sand in the bed

-           Rugby!!! Playing it, watching it and spending time with all the rugby people

-           Wearing high heals

-           City smells

-           Food – lamb, duck, goat cheese, Thai, good bread and many many other things

-           Being able to stop thinking about work when I leave the office

-           Seasons changing

I don’t miss:

-           Public transport, rush hours an traffic jams

-           Freezing

-           The torture of trying to figure out what to wear for work every morning

-           Hearing the garbage truck early in the morning and realizing that soon the alarm will ring

-           Hating Mondays

-           Wearing heals (yes, I know)

-           Missing the beach and needing a vacation in the South

-           Urge to comfort-shop something useless

-           Using make-up and taking sun-beds

-           Sitting in the office wondering why the time takes such a long time

So what is the final score?