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Any ex-pats/long time travelers out there? What's the biggest thing you miss about your home country?
My husband and I moved to Japan from America in March due to a job opportunity. There are several things that we've noticed that we miss, mostly food items! I was curious if 1) there are other ex-pats on the site and 2) what do you miss the most? Also, what is the best thing about your new home?
I definitely think it's food you end up missing the most. Even if the host country has food you love, you silll end up craving garbage you love, like eating a 400% markup just to get the crappy sugar cereal that you are craving (cinnamon toast crunch, bitches).
That is so true about the cereal! No one does full blown cereal isles like the good ol US haha
I missed the food and the culture for the first 5-10 years.
After about ten years, something really sad happens. You go back home, and you no longer fit in. Either you have changed, or your homeland has changed.
It's the Hiroo Onoda effect.
If you are not familiar, Hiroo Onoda was told during World War II to hide from the Americans. He hid for 29 years, fighting a war that no longer existed deep in the Philippines jungle. When he got back, Japan had changed, he had not, so he spent his remaining years in futility, deamanding a return to Japans traditional roots.
I've never heard of that effect before. Reading more about him is crazy. I'd recommend reading his story here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onoda. I'm going to try to get that book for over the summer.
I have been outside of my home country for the better part of five years. Though, I don't particularly miss anything, I never felt very attached to that place, anyway.
Where I am now is much nicer, sidewalks exist, plenty of public transportation, almost everything is relatively cheap. Sure, I don't fit in here, either, but at least the place can be described as livable.
I hope that you are able to find people or places that you feel you can connect with eventually. Maybe a club or new hobbie? I'm glad there are positives to where you are!
Mostly I just end up reading or doing things on the computer. I've never been much of a person for the outside.
I'm a Canadian expat living in the Caribbean. I'd have to say that while food is high on my list of things I miss, I also miss having access to my hobbies (i.e. tabletop miniatures).
Just curious, what sort of Canadian food do you miss?
Maple Syrup fresh from the tree and poutine. Sorry! Had to say it! I had to sell my sailboat years ago before I got married, with it went my grand plans to make my way down to the Caribbean and live aboard. If I could convince the wife to come along I would be dusting off those plans once the kids are out of the house. If you are into WH40K you could order all the miniatures you wanted online, its the finding of games I imagine is difficult, correct?
There are really two answers to that. I definitely miss things like poutine and donairs, though those were more of an occasional indulgence. I also miss just having access to different kinds of food - the last place I lived in Canada was in downtown Toronto so of course, there were plenty of options. The island I live on now has a couple of upscale restaurants, a couple of Chinese restaurants, one Indian place, on sushi place, Wendy's, KFC, Dominos, Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and a Burger King.
I'd have to say family. I miss them terribly until I had back for more than a long weekend and it reminds me just how much I value being in a different county!
Filipino expat in the UAE. I miss rain. Everything’s so damn hot here. And there’s sand everywhere.
I don't like sand... But I can understand that. I love snow but where we are apparently gets little to none. I have a ton of Filipino ex-pat friends here in Japan who are teachers!
One of my best memories is of hanging out with some Australian women drinking Belgian beer while eating Chinese food in a restaurant owned by an Italian man while in Turkey. It really made the world feel small, and like everything was very out of place. I think a bit of the issue with food outside of its native country is the ingredients, the lack of or substitution of certain ingredients can change the flavor.
I'm definitely missing Mexican food already. And good Chinese. I like Japan, but everything here is Japanese food or questionable Italian haha
I don't know how accessible soft tortillas/tortilla chips are in your neck of the woods, but between that and local cilantro/coriander, oregano, limes, and cumin I've managed to wrangle pico de gallo, guacamole, and fajitas with rice at home.
Ninja edit: When you say Chinese are you referring to the more traditional stuff like Peking duck or ma po tofu? Or "westernized" Chinese takeout along the lines of orange/kung pao chicken and lo mein noodles?
i used to miss food a lot (US) but luckily that motivated me to learn how to cook! now one of my favorite things to do is try to replicate foods, especially fast food, from home in my own kitchen. honestly, the only thing i can't quite get right is arby's roast beef. it is alchemy on a level that i haven't yet attained. i know it is terrible on a lot of levels but sometimes we don't choose the ones we love, they choose us