Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Central heating. Rachel’s welcome note suggested that I could turn it up when I arrived, but even at a cool 55 degrees, it was so much warmer than my apartment in Amman!

Flushing my toilet paper. There’s really no thrill quite like it.

Egyptian baggage handlers at a Dulles Starbucks. Almost like Jordan … but with central heat!

Teensie weensie little coins. I’ve gotten so used to Jordanian coins, the smallest of which is larger than a quarter, that American coins feel like play money.

Set prices to travel from here to there. I know it’s part of the allure of the developing world for some people, but I hate to bargain!

Public transportation that runs on a timetable. It may not be easy to get from Georgetown to Owings Mills by public transportation, but at least there’s a Website that will tell you how and how long it will take!

High speed, quality Internet. YouTube videos load faster than I can watch them!

Bob’s awesome sound system. He was so impressed that I noticed!

Oddly, however, free WiFi access is far more widely available in Amman than in Washington, DC!