Reasons to be thankful this year: What I miss most about the US

Living in Italy has been an extraordinary experience so far and has given me so many opportunities to grow as a person. That said, sometimes there are things that no incredible pizza or thrill at having a successful Italian conversation can fix. These are the things I miss most about living at home and what I'm most thankful for.

• New England fall foliage

• Having crosswalks where cars will actually stop for you
• Delivery services. Specifically food-related.
• American sports including football and baseball season

• 5-star 5 subject college-ruled notebooks, none of this graph notebook business
• Watching Netflix without changing your VPN
• Apple-picking and other festive fall activities

• Mexican food, i.e. avocados that aren't hard, guac, and margs.
• Having the right to vote, when Italians have to fight their government for this.
• Washer-dryer combos, because air drying is so annoying.
• Family dinners and all the annoying parts of your family that you pretend to hate but secretly love.

• Being close enough for best friend dates on the couch with wine
• Having Saturdays off from school (yes, these poor suckers go to school 6 days a week up to high school)
• Celebrating American holidays in the US (RIP Thanksgiving, the fourth of July, and other random Monday holidays)
• Cuddling with pets

• iMessaging and FaceTiming because most people have iPhones
• Having written exams and tests instead of oral interviews at school (almost all tests in the Italian school system are oral)
• Bagels and brunch. Self-explanatory.

Above all, I'm so thankful to be going home this Christmas and spending the holidays with my family. What are you most thankful for this year?