Moving abroad is never easy, no matter how wonderful the new place is, there is always something you are going to miss. Christmas and the incoming New Year’s celebration have put me in a reminiscent mood, so I’ve decided to share with you all those little things I miss about the UK.

Friends

Well, this is always the biggest downside to moving away. Years ago when I moved to the UK, I had to deal with the same dilemma, leaving all my friends behind… despite having some experience with this no one ever said that the second time round would be any easier, and it wasn’t. I miss my friends and there isn’t a lot I can do about it… yes, there are phones, Skype, emails and all the other social media updates but this simply isn’t the same as some face to face contact. I hope with time things will get better and my friends will someday make the effort to come to us, with a visit.

Car boots

This might not be a big deal for most people but I did love and still do love car boot sales. Every Sunday I would take some “me time” and spend a few hours at my local car boot sales. Sometimes I would bring home a discovered bargain but to be honest most of the time I would come back empty handed, even then I would still be happy and relaxed and fired up for a week to come. Apparently there are some car boot sales here but they only operate during the summer season so hopefully, I will get my next fix soon.

The roads! But not the traffic

Think what you want but the roads here are in places totally diabolical! I can’t even describe them with any justice, just to say it’s bad. The first thing we had to do after moving here was to get ourselves a 4×4 so we could actually move around without huge garage bills. Yes, people do use “normal” cars here but I truly have no idea how… how are they surviving with all those holes (craters) and how do they make sure their car doesn’t fall apart every time after hitting them because you just can’t miss them all! I truly do miss simple, straight and flat tarmac… sad I know! The roads here are hideous, maybe with the exception of the new motorways which are super smooth like a babies bottom and a few country roads that somehow have been dragged into the modern era but the rest…ouch. On the other hand, there is a huge silver lining… there is no traffic… that has to count for something, right? After three months of driving around everywhere, I have not once been in a traffic jam, not even a little one and that includes driving around the cities.

Lottery

I was never a huge Lotto fanatic but every now and then, like most people, I would buy a “lucky” ticket in the hope of winning the jackpot and of course while away some time dreaming about just how I would spend all of that money. Now, as I officially no longer live in the UK, I can no longer participate in the lottery. Luckily for me however, I’ve discovered Lottoland, which doesn’t put any restrictions on your address and I can still indulge myself with the occasional “lucky” ticket, or should I say slip to be precise. Yes, I no longer have the satisfaction of having my paper ticket (which actually isn’t such a bad idea as I do tend to lose things) but I am also not restricted as to what to play. Next time I am feeling lucky I might even try the US Power Ball 🙂

The ease of shopping

Discovering new things is fun, don’t get me wrong but shopping in a foreign land with no real ability to read what is stated on the label can get a bit tedious. Again, with time this will disappear or at least get a bit better but for now, I truly miss going to the store and knowing what it actually is that I have just put into my basket. My friend once told me that discovering new things, especially foods is good for us… and yes, I do agree with the sentiment but then again coming home with a bag of something you thought was caster sugar and then discovering it’s definitely not can get a bit annoying.

 

All that being said, with all these things that I miss about the UK, I still swear that we have made a good choice. I am sure with time some of these issues will fade away and other different things will come to light but such is life… it is never perfect, is it? But this is the closest we have ever got to it.