What I Miss and What I Love Here

(this mentions only a few, in a short and incomplete list, and speaks of things, not people)

What I miss from France (we were only there a year):
- the French language (and understanding everyone)
- the crêperie in Montpellier (non-smoking, no less, even before all restaurants in France became non-smoking)
- the local bakeries

What I miss from England:
- Waitrose grocery store's delicious prepared foods, ready to bake for dinner
- our garbage disposal
- unlimited trash pickup in any kind of bag
- weekly recycling pickup
- mixed paper recycling (pieces of any size)
- the "free" visits to the local doctor's office for any reason
- the easy 100% reimbursements from the health insurance company
- being able to communicate easily with everyone (though I don't miss the English language in general)
- youth group for Jason with other kids his age
- my two daytime ladies' Bible studies, one with locals and one with ex-pats
- non-smoking

What I miss from California:
- the laundry chute (and garbage disposal)
- Jamba Juice
- Tomatina
- Una Más
- Cold Stone Creamery
- Ben & Jerry's that was not $8.79 per pint
- abundant sunshine
- our orthodontist
- our dentist
- solid, in-depth, methodical Bible teaching
- convenient, close stores of every kind
- non-smoking

What I love here in Zurich, Switzerland, so far:
- mountains, with and without snow
- Swiss culture in general
- Swiss flags that make my face brighten (because I love Switzerland)
- raclette, rösti, and spätzli
- hazelnut yogurts and Biberli almond cakes
- fresh, cool air
- heated floors, no hot air flowing around
- no need for air conditioning
- good solid season changes
- peace and quiet
- stores closed on Sundays
- a church that invited my son to play drums Sunday mornings
- such close proximity to so many countries and languages
- a chance for me and my kids to learn another language by using it