What Does An Expat Miss About Home?

[gmac]

As an expat I miss.............hmmm..............thinking...............there must be something.......................nah.........can't think of a thing, Thailand's got all I need!!

gmac

[buriramboy]

what i miss, is horse racing, dog racing, casino's, and going to watch Ipswich lose on a saurday afternoon and of course a nice pint of fruity flat warm bitter.

BB

[kwamrakmaimeeraka]

I am more than content here. The service is great, the food is fantastic, and the people are friendly. Everything that I would do in my birth country for fun I can do here for cheaper. Though I do miss a good amusement park, and Dream World just does not measure up. I suppose I do miss my brother too.

[jing jing]

Great pizzas, great steaks, great martinis, great friends, great California weather, riding my Ducati through the Malibu mountains,

Uh... that's all I can think of at the moment

[cdnvic]

One thing I think I miss most when in Thailand.... Breakfast.

[Sakeopete]

Tim Horton's, truly fast reliable cheap internet, safe drivers, the ocean/mountains, police who are honest/polite, and decent TV.

I second that don't forget Kokanee beer and V8 Chey pickup trucks ahhh!

[Sakeopete]

One thing I think I miss most when in Thailand.... Breakfast.

cdnvic I get cans of Tim Hortons any time I want from my co-worker if your in bangkok let me know I'll get you can or two. Could get donuts too but I would probably eat them on the way :-)

[cdnvic]

I never leave home without a box or two.... there's always some jaded "english teacher" I can cheer up by putting some fresh timbits down on the guesthouse table.

Edited March 5, 2007 by cdnvic

[Skyline]

My Mum

Decent bacon

Hob Nobs

Mustard

Drunk fat girls

Kebabs

Brit comedy

Good new music

Oh borrocks! im going back to Peckham

[orchis]

Transparancy

Streets with beautiful architecture and cafe terraces

Respect for pedestrians

My nephews

My old friends.

[qwertz]

Transparancy

Streets with beautiful architecture and cafe terraces

Respect for pedestrians

My nephews

My old friends.

I've got the first three where I chose to live but 4 & 5 hit the spot. And my sisters too, I miis their chatter. They got on my nerves when I saw them often but it's too quiet here without them.

And cider and a ploughman's lunch. Can't believe I can't get these little things in provincial Germany.

[lazeeboy]

Twiglets and after 8 mints.

twiglets can sometime be found in tops exspensive but ........

[dong]

I miss a sense of history and tradition, old architecture, a fair police force, knowing that if I had an accident people around me would know what to do and that an ambulance would be called, driving in predictable conditions, being able to read a current newspaper and read something informative and intellectually stimulating, good bread, real cheese, cleaner air, not sweating so much, England's green countryside and probably more.

If you miss that sh#t so much ..What are you doing in thailand

[cdnvic]

I miss a sense of history and tradition, old architecture, a fair police force, knowing that if I had an accident people around me would know what to do and that an ambulance would be called, driving in predictable conditions, being able to read a current newspaper and read something informative and intellectually stimulating, good bread, real cheese, cleaner air, not sweating so much, England's green countryside and probably more.

If you miss that sh#t so much ..What are you doing in thailand

There's one of these in every thread

Some of us have lived all over the world and miss certain things from a lot of places. The choice is either to buy a private jet and keep homes in each and every one of them, or just miss them and occasionally reminisce like this.

Next question genius?

Edited March 5, 2007 by cdnvic

[GuestHouse]

Some of us have lived all over the world and miss certain things from a lot of places. The choice is either to buy a private jet and keep homes in each and every one of them, or just miss them and occasionally reminisce like this.

Well said CDNVIC.

An observation I've made is that after being in Asia for 18 years, I'm thoroughly enjoying being in Rome, and while Italy is not my home country/culture, it is European. It is the depth and subtlety of European culture that I am enjoying now that I missed when in Asia.

That said, I think there is nothing sadder than being in one place and wishing you where else where.

Make the best of where you are, live the life you have.

[davidjtayler]

When friends come over from they UK they bring me two things ... mature, mouth puckering, cheddar cheese and Walkers cheese and onion crisps.

Fark ! I love cheese

[Helene]

I miss family friendly shopping centres with ramps and lifts for strollers and parents rooms with baby change tables and kiddie sized toilets.......

[qwertz]

Some of us have lived all over the world and miss certain things from a lot of places. The choice is either to buy a private jet and keep homes in each and every one of them, or just miss them and occasionally reminisce like this.

Well said CDNVIC.

An observation I've made is that after being in Asia for 18 years, I'm thoroughly enjoying being in Rome, and while Italy is not my home country/culture, it is European. It is the depth and subtlety of European culture that I am enjoying now that I missed when in Asia.

That said, I think there is nothing sadder than being in one place and wishing you where else where.

Make the best of where you are, live the life you have.

Amen to all that. We shouldn't forget that most of us have a choice - there are many in the world who don't. Interesting thing though, I started this thread with the things you miss and there's a lot of posts from people missing people. On reflection, I do too and that's one thing you can't find in any store. It might have been better to ask who you're missing today or have another thread just for that.

P:S. To Dong: Some of us expats are not in Thailand. And I miss little things from each place I've lived e.g. see my earlier post re. good Thai food. Nobody here is putting LOS down, at least not in this thread.

Edited March 5, 2007 by qwertz

[kriswillems]

What I missed when I lived in Thailand:

- the right to work without work permit

- the right to live where I live without needing to run to the border

- the right to pay the same price as other people

- not being a able to make any plans for the future due to always changing laws

- food: cheese, good bread, french fries, fat food

- clean, non-poluted air

- safe traffic, being able to go somewhere by food or bicycle

- quality movies

- cold weather

- a good conversation in your native language

- a good internet connection

- reliable electricity

- reliable water distribution

- gass distribution

- the european bank system

- sitting outside without being eaten alive by mosquitos

- being able to walk on the streets without having 20 dogs of the neigbours barking at you and following you.

- a sewer system that doesn't stink

- political stability

- correct and honest police

- not worrying about food safety

- better infrastructure: better roads, better city planning

- cheap education

- high quality education

- a safe electric system at home (I hate those Thai plugs).

- people with initiative, that try to change things and not just follow elder people or the boss

- people that are willing to work fast (and hard)

- a lot of free time and normal working hours

- not needing to worry about all kinds of superstition

- not being bothered by touts at trainstations, busterminals and airports

- not have to look after the parents of your partner

- ....

It's so easy to find things that you don't like when you live in another culture. But you can't adapt to a new culture if you always compare things with your home-country.

[kat1]

For me things are just 'things' and as such are not important enough to me to be missed. Apart from family, which is a given, what I do miss is a sense of belonging. The position that is taken for granted until one no longer has it. What one obtains from a childhood in which one absorbs a culture, e.g. being able to answer the "easy" questions on 'who wants to be a millionaire?' Understanding all of the idioms and little jokes automatically.

[mrbojangles]

I've been to many places and can't really think of anything in particular i've missed apart from family etc.

Funnily enough though, my mate who lives in China, always wants me to bring him over Vimto, Mowberry Pork Pies and Tesco finest Cheese. The thing is, he only misses them being out there. When he's in the UK he never touches them

Is there anybody else like this?

[jasreeve17]

what i miss, is horse racing, dog racing, casino's, and going to watch Ipswich lose on a saurday afternoon and of course a nice pint of fruity flat warm bitter.

BB

If you ever go back. Any weekend, you should be alright to catch up on the one above. I was hoping that we'd beat Watford in the FA cup and get on TV here for the next round....

(I think that there's at least three of us on this forum!)

[qwertz]

I've been to many places and can't really think of anything in particular i've missed apart from family etc.

Funnily enough though, my mate who lives in China, always wants me to bring him over Vimto, Mowberry Pork Pies and Tesco finest Cheese. The thing is, he only misses them being out there. When he's in the UK he never touches them

Is there anybody else like this?

I'm the same, you don't miss it when you can have it any time, only when it's gone. From a Nooten Eafer.

[Austhaied]

I've been to many places and can't really think of anything in particular i've missed apart from family etc.

Funnily enough though, my mate who lives in China, always wants me to bring him over Vimto, Mowberry Pork Pies and Tesco finest Cheese. The thing is, he only misses them being out there. When he's in the UK he never touches them

Is there anybody else like this?

When i am here in Tiredland i tend to miss Aussie meat pies and VB beer, i can, and do get them here for a small fortune. When back home i don't even go near them...As the yanks would say "Go Figure"...

[qwertz]

I've been to many places and can't really think of anything in particular i've missed apart from family etc.

Funnily enough though, my mate who lives in China, always wants me to bring him over Vimto, Mowberry Pork Pies and Tesco finest Cheese. The thing is, he only misses them being out there. When he's in the UK he never touches them

Is there anybody else like this?

When i am here in Tiredland i tend to miss Aussie meat pies and VB beer, i can, and do get them here for a small fortune. When back home i don't even go near them...As the yanks would say "Go Figure"...

VB BEER? Oh my, I wish!

[Donnyboy]

what I miss mostly apart from family & friends

-clean non polluted air, so crisp and cool you feel really alive (the burning they do here is a disgrace)

-green pastures and the smell of a freshly cut lawn

-rivers and waterways that arent brown or dont smell

-clean streets with no potholes, litter, or stray dogs lying in the middle of it

-paths that arent hazzardous

-traffic with no red buses (song thew) or tuk tuks (spewing black smoke & outrageous driving)

-buying liquor at any time of day

-reasonably cheap good wine

-having a red wine by an open fireplace on a cold day

-a proper BBQ and tender juicy steak- no thin strips of meat on a hubcap

-fishing for snapper and kingfish

[farangsay]

Well I have no "home" as such but as I was always a voracious reader

I miss trips to England where every town centre is given over to charity

shops where you could pick up English language books for a song.

Often came back with kilos of books in the boot.

200b+ for the same in LOS is a bit more expensive.

And in France (where I lived a lot) I could pick up bottles of American

produced Merlot (perfectly drinkable) for 1e50.

But we must make do with what we have.

[peterjackson]

Hey

Living in Florida, I miss Branston Pickle, Jacobs Cream Crackers, Chocolate Hob Nobs, Teacackes, Real Danish Bacon, Steak & Kidney Pies, Mushy Peas, Fish & Chips from the local chippie and Pork Pies.

Costco now stock a great range of English Matured Quality Cheeses at prices below what I used to pay in the UK seven years ago.....go figure.

But there are many upsides here too. I have lived in many countries and have always looked for the positive in them all, rather than dwell on any of the negatives.

Family and friends are priceless, but the world is getting smaller all the time.

I can't wait to move to Phuket next year, fully loaded with all of the above from the UK, before my arrival.

Kind regards

Peter

[tutsiwarrior]

I miss public libraries...and food; trouble is I've been gone 20 years an' can't remember what it tastes like...only the pleasant sensation after I had eaten it...

[qwertz]

I miss paella, liver and bacon, cottage pie, fresh baguettes dipped in olive oil and smeared with a fresh tomato, ratatuoille, tapas, Typhoo tea, pilmini, patsiiyu, rogan josh curry and a cool glass of camra beer. A hint of all the places I've lived.