What I Miss

I was forewarned before becoming an ex-pat that I would likely go through a honeymoon phase, during which I am enamored with the myriad wonderful things my new home has to follow, quickly followed by a period of homesickness. I think I have just begun the homesickness stage. Please don’t think I’m ungrateful: my life here is incredible, and I feel so blessed to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore this wondrous country with my little buddy at my side. The people, the weather, the food, the scenery, oh my! But it would be disingenuous if I pretended that I don’t have moments of acute longing for certain familiar things back home.

The BritishExpats.com website summarizes my feelings well:

The weeks that immediately follow our arrival in a new country can be extremely exciting. A Pandora’s Box of new sounds, sights and experiences distracts us while the unpacking and formalities of acquiring essentials - from accommodation to a local driving licence - keep us well occupied for a further few weeks.

However, as life settles into a routine and the surroundings cease to feel quite so 'exotic'; feelings of homesickness might begin to appear. In fact, it would be rare to find an expat who hasn’t, at one time or another, felt the twinges of homesickness whilst living abroad.

Here’s a list of those things that tug at my heartstrings most often (in no particular order):

(1) Friends and family. Duh.

(2) My dog Nevis and cat Licorice. While both have found wonderful, loving homes, I miss both of their constant presences so much that my heart literally aches.

(3) That special time each day when I picked up Sydney from daycare and enjoyed the camaraderie of both her teachers and the fellow parents in the playground. While pick up from daycare could be challenging (particularly when Syd didn’t want to leave and tantrumed her whole way to the car), I viewed it as an opportunity to unwind from a day at work and be among friends.

(4) Flavored creamer for my coffee. Specifically, non-fat hazelnut or vanilla creamer full of artificial flavors that I so liberally added to my coffee each day that it almost tasted like a milkshake. I can’t find it anywhere, and instead am using that awful Coffee Mate dust in my coffee each day, which globs at the surface as if mocking my efforts to duplicate my coffee back home. (Please note that when I buy a cup of coffee outside my house, Australian coffee shops make the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had (with the exception of Philz Coffee in San Francisco, which I was recently introduced to.) Australian cappuccinos and “long whites” are to die for.)

(5) Our house and neighbors on Loomis Street. While the house always felt a bit too big for us, I miss its cozy living room and Syd’s fabulous playroom. I also miss my incredible neighbors on Loomis Street, who became like family soon upon our move there.

(6) Watching Syd play so gleefully and naturally with her best friends Margo and Amelia. Triple Trouble is a sight (and sound) to behold. Syd is starting daycare one day a week this month mostly for socialization reasons, but I doubt she can replicate those magical friendships.

(7) Paperback books that cost less than $20-30. I am astonished by the price of books over here and have started scrounging the clearance sections at bookstores, resulting on more than one occasion in me purchasing lousy books that I wouldn’t have bought otherwise (and don’t end up finishing).

(8) Costco. How I miss your bulk granola bars, goldfish, fruit snacks, and Kirkland-brand diapers and wipes.

Don't get me wrong, my list of things that I love about Australia could already be pages long. But above are some of the things that I crave from back home most often. In the meantime, we are making noble efforts to make new friends and really become part of our community. No doubt when our time Down Under has ended, there will be much we miss tremendously about Oz.