It’s not that we’ve been in Prague for so long, or that we haven’t found a way to get the latest episodes of Mad Men on line, but there are times when we find ourselves feeling a little homesick. In no particular order:

1. Crowds. Prague is quiet and beautiful, but there are times when we would gladly trade in the serenity for the feel of an urban jungle. Strangely enough, we miss having to shove through the crowd to get on the subway and fight for taxis with strategy and speed.

2. Cowboy boots. Those of you not from Texas and other places where cowboy boots are a vital piece of everyday attire probably don’t get it, but trust us: Walking into a drugstore, movie theater, or grocery store is not the same without a cast of Justins-sporting, rodeo-belt-buckle-boasting, Wrangler-wearing characters.

3. The subway. The metro in Prague is borderline culture shock when you’re used to riding the New York City subway. Nobody talks. There are no conductors with a sense of humor and all the announcements are made by robots.

4. Relatively clean air. Prague is notorious for high levels of air pollution which have given the historical buildings their signature shade of soot. On the up side, the smog does give St. Vitus a more dramatic silhouette in the afternoon sky.

5. Camouflage and guns. That’s right, urbanites: fall just isn’t fall for us red-staters without the seasonal traditions of strapping a dead deer on the pickup and dressing completely in camouflage all day long. Gun-cleaning? A family activity, like washing the dishes or playing board games. We can almost smell the musty gun-cleaning rags now…

6. 24-hour convenience stores. With the exception of Wenceslas and Old Town squares, Prague seems to turn into a ghost town once evening takes over, making it difficult to run out for a bag of chips when the craving hits late at night. We miss being able to trot over whenever we want and for whatever we want.

7. Food. With all the cream, cheese, meat and potatoes, Czech food is comfort food. However, there are times when the heaviness becomes too much. All we want to do is grab all the vegetables we can find, add bottles of chili and soy sauce, and never smell a fried cheese sandwich again.

8. The cereal aisle. Honey Nut Cheerios, Cookie Crisp, Cinnamon Toast Crunch minis-the cereal selection in most Prague supermarkets doesn’t extend much further. The long, American-style supermarket aisle with dozens of cereal brands? Nope. Kashi? Not a chance. Cultural tip: try some Europe-exclusive, sugar-intensive Lion cereal to cheer you up.

A suspect leaves the scene of the crime.

9. Lunatics. It’s hard to tell if people are insane when they’re speaking Czech. Did the man say “The only things I look forward to in life are mayonnaise and sex!” or did he ask if the train was going to IKEA?

10. Not needing to watch where we step. Don’t get us wrong – we love dogs, but is this the best the street sweepers can do? Really? And let’s not be unfair to the dogs. The Prague slalom involves dodging broken glass, vomit and roadkill. Next semester, bring hip waders.