What I Miss (and don't miss) from Montenegro

So it's almost been a year exactly since I landed in Montenegro, and almost two months since I came back "home." Here's what I miss:

* PEOPLE. This is almost always the case. As a nomad, people always ask, "What do you miss about (fill in the blank)?" when I left China, Lesotho, Kazakhstan, Hawaii, etc. And it's the people I met/friends I made. In Montenegro, it's not only the locals like my host family, PC staff, colleagues, etc., but also the other Americans/volunteers.  Hopefully, I will see some of these folks again, and certainly will try to keep in touch through Facebook and what not. I was very lucky to have a great host family with awesome kids, a kick ass cook host mom, and a host dad that had the requisite "dad jokes" at the ready and which goes to show "dad jokes" are a cultural thing that knows no boundaries!

* FOOD. Particularly in regards to eating healthier, eating more fruits and vegetables (I miss the mandarins and cherries!), eating WAY less processed food, food not sprayed with chemicals or filled with disgusting additives the EU bans but America cheerfully allows. The host mom where I was living in Danilovgrad was an excellent cook, served a variety of meals, often meatless, which was nice. I have tried replicating some of her recipes with little success, alas.  I can't even make a simple cucumber salad as good as hers! And even tho she gave me specific instructions on replicating her muesli mix - which i LOVED - I can't get that right, either! Sigh.

* SCENERY. Montenegro is definitely one of the most beautiful countries in the world. The coasts, the mountains, the Old Towns (Kotor!), etc. I highly recommend a visit.

* COST OF LIVING. Of course, as a volunteer, I only got a small living allowance, but I stretched that and even saved some money because your basic items are so much cheaper.  It's different on the coast, and it's not quite as inexpensive as other countries I'm considering for retirement, but it was still much cheaper than here!

* THE KIDS. While in many ways kids are the same everywhere, it was still nice to be around kids not always glued to their phones, more respectful and decent in general, etc. I was particularly lucky that the twins I lived with in Danilovgrad were good kids, Harry Potter fans like me so we could compare which houses we're in, etc. The kids at school were always excited to have lessons with me and we had a lot of fun, and I had a writing club with some older students I ADORED and did SUCH amazing writing!

Miss/don't miss: The Politics. As a political junkie, and history junkie, Montenegro is a gold mine with a fascinating history and VERY interesting politics. But said history/politics are also, often, very sad/depressing/appalling.  But then also very interesting. So there you go!  

As for what I don't miss:

* THE WEATHER. This is tricky, as in general, the weather is pretty pleasant, Mediterranean climate, etc,  BUT it rains a bit too much for me, and Danilovgrad was fucking HOT in the summer, And humid.  No likey!

* INFRASTRUCTURE. It's not necessarily BAD, just inconsistent. You can get around the country fairly well by bus, but it's a crap shoot as to how nice the bus will be, if it's on time, if it has A/C, etc.

Of course I also missed my favorite foods, restaurants, etc. from the states, but that's not unique to Montenegro.  Again, on the whole, Montenegro is a pretty nice little country and I highly recommend spending some time there.