What I will miss about Italy, or America vs. Italy

Things I’ve missed about America:
Diversity. It sounds stereotypical, but Italy is incredibly homogenous, and so are most of the other countries I’ve been to. It’s something you take for granted. Not just race, but also arcitecture: everything is so ancient here, so there’s a very set feel in each city, and many cities, like Paris or London, look very smooth and fluid, but its because they thrived and were built up in one time period.
BBQ Sauce, Ranch, Fried Chicken, Proper Cheeseburgers--you just can’t find them here. Almost got fried chicken in Paris, I was so starved for it (ended up getting it in London!). KFC is crazy expensive because its “foreign”, and only in large, large cities. American fastfood (Taco Bell, Chipotle (the one in London is the only one in Europe))
The American Dollar: Goodness, everything is so expensive here. Its horrible, being charged to take cash out, and for foreign purchases, and having to worry about the exchange rates….it aged me (and impoverished me).
The 12 hour clock: Goodness, I’ve been late so many places getting used to military time. It’s helpful once you know it (never any confusion), but the math of figuring out the time difference. “Oh, its 18:00, 7 hours, so it’s 1:00 in the States!” Whoops. Sempre, sempre.
Friends and Family: This country is amazing, but its difficult to make friends without speaking the language, and its very isolating. As great as it is here, I can’t help but imagine I’d be enjoying myself 8x more with my best friends here.
English: You don’t realize how lucky you are till you can’t express yourself properly. I wish I’d spoken more complexly while I was home. Another person in the program mentioned that when they were in Dublin, they cracked jokes and dry humor constantly, since people finally understood him.
Sarcasm: They don’t use it nearly as much here, and people take me far too seriously.
Things I’ll miss about Italy:
Cheap, yet world-class, wine. I never appreciated it before I came here, and preferred white wine when I had to. Now, I vastly prefer red, and I’m learning a bit about the culture. It’s fantastic, and I’m sad I won’t have that option in the states.
Cheap, yet world-class gelato: Obviously.
Coffee culture: Lazing about with a cappucino is so under-rated. I could drink 5 a day if I could.
Italian: It’s a beautiful language, and always a challenge.
History: There are monuments, famous buildings, and other marks of antiquity on every other street…you realize how young America is as a result. Our country is so young, so full of promise and opportunity, but we have so little historical foundation in comparison to other countries.