There are so many things I took for granted at home, in my comfort zone, in my home office, little things that made life easier, more comfortable. These are things I missed when I was in Bangladesh, little things that I only really noticed when I didn’t have them.

As my coffee grew cold in whatever mug I found in the guest house or office, I missed my favorite red Stanley tumbler, full of hot coffee lovingly made by my husband.

Below, left: Coffee at Sugar Boulangerie and Patisserie in Cox’s Bazar. Below, right: Trying to fit all my work paraphernalia on a plastic desk in my room at the guesthouse in Ukhiya.

As I found an empty desk where I could work, in the offices in Cox’s Bazar or Ukhiya or Dhaka, or when I tried to fit my laptop and my tablet, my notebooks and my pens, my phones and phone stands, I missed my home office with my large desk and my external monitors, and my oh-so-loud keyboard. I was so glad when I sat in the comms office in Cox’s Bazar, and I finally had an external monitor I could use (below)!

As I searched my bag for crackers in the middle of the morning, I missed the convenience of going down to the kitchen anytime I wanted a snack. But I was so grateful for the lovely people who would just thrust food into my hand, who would bring me an unexpected morsel.

As I looked at the beautiful flowers surrounding the guesthouse in Ukhiya, I missed my garden back home.

But there were other little things I was grateful for. Not having to worry about doing laundry, or cleaning the house, because we had people who could focus on that. Not having to worry about how to get home, or how to get to the office, because safe and reliable transportation was a priority.

I was grateful for the collegial joy of sharing a house with a predominantly female population, and how we could walk around in our pajamas and messy hair, and nobody cared much. I was grateful for my Cox’s Bazar flatmate, Linda, who took such good care of me. All this, even as I missed the space of my own house back home, and the quiet of my office, and the peace of my garden.

It’s really amazing, all the little things that make up the comforts of home, all the little things you don’t even realize you’ll miss. The way the sun streams into the bedroom in the morning, the way I can cook anytime I want, or step out of the house without worrying too much about what I’m wearing.

I was only gone for a month, and I can’t imagine what it’s like for our international staff who leave home for three months, six months, nine, twelve. How drastic must be the changes when they go back home, how terribly must they miss their creature comforts, their family and friends.

The next time I go on a mission, how long will I be gone? What will I miss most?