A Taste of The States
We’ve lived in Slovenia now for exactly 2 months! As I’ve said before, living here is really not that difficult. I have, however, found myself missing things that are very common in The United States but not so common in Slovenia. You can only imagine how happy I was to finally have some things I’d missed in a care package from my mom and mother-in-law. It was Christmas in our house on Wednesday, and I may have almost cried! Ha
Below is a list of everyday things in The United States that can’t really be found in Slovenia unless you drive to an American military post in Italy (roughly about 1.5 hours away)
- Coffee creamer (This is the BIGGEST thing I’ve missed!) My mom and Terri sent me a bottle of creamer, and I almost cried! Coffee in Slovenia is delicious; however, you have to go in and get it. There’s no such thing as a drive-thru coffee shop, and the only Starbucks I’ve seen here was in the Paris airport! So if I want good coffee, I have to drag the kids inside with me… hmm, no thank you.
- Gummies or fruit snacks! My kids love gummies/ fruit snacks. I realize it’s probably not the healthiest of treats, but they are so easy to put in your purse.
- Jelly Bellies, you can’t find real Jelly Bellies in this country unless you go to the city center, and then you’re going to pay more than you should.
- Cookie mix, I’ve yet to see Betty Crocker cookie mix in this country! They love to make everything from scratch, which is GREAT unless you’re me and can barely even cook cookies out of the bag! So when my mom sent me loads of chocolate chip cookie mix, I was Sooooo EXCITED! So much so that I’ve not even cooked them because I’m waiting for something special, haha
- Sprite…The only soda I’ve seen in this entire country is Coke! Lucky for me, I love Coke, but I also miss Dr. Pepper and Sprite. (You can’t send it to me because it’s a liquid)
- I miss Goldfish; we have something here that looks like a “Goldfish cracker,” but it tastes like cardboard.
- Again, animal crackers have something like this here, but it’s nothing like the crackers that come in the little red box with the handle.
- Salted butter has no such thing in this country. Everything is unsalted.
- Real American Bread! I miss sandwich bread! We have a bread called “American bread,” ha, but it’s just not the same as when you actually buy it in America. (This is me being picky, and the bread here is just fine. I just often think of our bread back in the States, ha)
- Lays Chips! We have “chips” here; they just aren’t the same. (Next time I go shopping, I’ll take pictures so you guys can see what I’m talking about)
- Cupcakes…I’ve yet to see a cupcake in this country… I may just be missing this, but I’ve yet to see a cupcake in this country!
- Reese’s cup- The peanut butter cups.
- Arm & Hammer baking soda! Sounds crazy, but I miss how much Baking Soda you get in a box vs just buying the little packs here.
- Minced Garlic in a jar!
- Jiffy Peanut Butter, No worries tho, we have 10 jars that will last us a lifetime! haha
- Biscuits in a can, yep, you have to make your biscuits from scratch!
- Jimmy Dean’s sausage!
- Cotton balls, I have yet to find cotton balls.
- I miss Mccormick’s seasoning packets! Especially the spaghetti seasoning. We have something like this here, but it’s not the same!
- Cheetos!
- Lucky Charms, I miss unhealthy cereal!!
- Jiffy Cornbread mix
- Brown sugar, the sticky/ baking kind.
These are just a few things I have missed while living here! I will say that I believe that we have been eating very healthily since living here, and I believe that my cooking is getting 100% better. However, sometimes you just want the comforts of “Home” or a little taste of familiarity!
A BIG THANK YOU to my Mom and Terri for the care packages!! You made our night on Wednesday!!!
Lindsey
I miss coffee creamer too!! I love the coffee and cappuccinos you get in the coffee shops but I also miss Starbucks 🙂 I’m having a hard time finding easy snacks for the kids to pack around too. Makes you appreciate all those little conveniences back home!
Denise
My pleasure. You’re getting two more coming at you. I personally miss not being able to get things to you in a timely manner? That and the largest boxes I send are not big enough. You just keep on enjoying this amazing adventure and I’ll keep sending my care packages. ❤