What’s Different – The Return to California

Pretty much everything. On the plus side,

  • Clean air
  • Biking everywhere
  • Sand volleyball on demand
  • Cooler, drier temperatures
  • Order
  • A language I generally understand
  • Great Chinese food
  • Being the same time zone as my California friends
  • My phone
  • And Internet that works

But of course there are many things I miss,

  • Ubiquitous art and architecture, and living in history
  • Urban chaos
  • Testaccio market and piazza
  • Walking everywhere, in particular along the Tiber
  • Italian food
  • The music of the Italian language
  • Minimalism and the simplicity of living out of two suitcases
  • My Italian friends