To be homesick for the UK

[twiney]

I'm a little hungover and had a rough day yesterday and it's triggered a bout of homesickness for the UK. Any other expat MNers feeling homesick for their country?

I miss...

The humorous trashy aspect of Christmas

The free-form approach to womanhood

Pubs

The love of newness and creativity

The acceptance of difference

My friends

The sea and the faded kitschness of coastal towns

The flexible playfulness of using English

There are more. But as Christmas draws nearer and nostalgia kicks in, having tried to integrate here and doing an okay job ploughing on with it, I just wanted to say it out loud: I miss you, UK, I miss your no-nonsense women, an attitude I can still just about hold onto through the various personalities on MN.

I miss you and love you!

I miss sausages and black pudding.

Had to import mince pies!

Faye is that you? [santa]

I’m an expat and miss it too. I miss my friends and family most.

Yes it is.

Hard to beat. We are an exciting island and we rock.

LostSight Do you have any 'British Pubs' where you are. A friend of ours worked in a restaurant that did a speciality of English breakfasts, he could add on to the order when they put one in so we could all get stuff like that.
Amazon is good for things like Marmite, and relative sends us a 'Christmas Care Package' for a Christmas present, always includes things like stuffing, crackers and Christmas pudding.

Hard to beat if you like it, pretty easy if you don't.

Yawn

Why do you need British-type pubs and English breakfasts etc etc if you lurve the loveliness of other lesser places do much!?

Hilarious!

Oh, oh I've got an emigration fund! Anyone wishing to contribute can pm me.

...so much!?

Fuck that. This place is a shithole walking backwards in time to a poorer more racist place. Can’t wait to get out

It really isn't. It's am amazing and hugely tolerant country. But if you really must go, then ......... safe trip.

I lived abroad for 18 years and have come back to the UK this year. I love it! Love the shops that don't close for hours at lunchtime, love seeing the family very often instead of 3 times a year, love the fact that all facilities and services are easy to find, instead of just one plumber for the whole town. I wouldn't want to leave again. It's a bit on the chilly side, but you can't have everything.

I’ve live in Saudi, Indonesia, Japan and the UAE. Believe me when I say we are one of the most tolerant, diverse, un- racist countries there is!!

Thank you; you said it for me

I lived abroad for several years and loved it, but can totally recognise why the OP would be homesick. I was too, especially at Christmas.

I always assume the "UK is the worst country ever" posters have never lived abroad...every country has its own issues.

It's a bit of a tenuous connection to OP feeling homesick TBH, what with Donald Trump being in the US and all that.

As someone stated earlier in the thread, racism is becoming more 'overt'.

Someone like the President of the United States re-tweeting videos from the 'political party' Britain First will give validation to those who support them and give them pretty positive publicity....

RoseWhite, you are coming across as very childish with your sneering attitude.

It's quite possible to live abroad and like it and even think it is a better place to live than the UK and still miss things and people from home.

I miss pubs too but I get back home every few months so it's OK.

I can call friends and family back home for free and I can get most British food at M&S here so that's OK too.

When I lived here before (it's the second time round for me) I was very homesick until a had a proper social life and was too busy to miss home, but I also knew it was only temporary. This time I am probably going to be here permanently and I'm not homesick at the moment but I think if my relationship wasn't going well it could be a very different story. When you move abroad to be with someone the stakes are very high in your relationship and how you feel about that can easily influence how you feel about your situation in general.

Why do you need British-type pubs and English breakfasts etc etc if you lurve the loveliness of other lesser places do much!? Hilarious!

I don't. Never been in one here. I much prefer the food here, sorry to disappoint you. Just thought it might be an option for the poster that had some food misses.
I think you have issues.

What has Donald Trump to do with OP being homesick?

What indeed. Some posters were rightly pointing out that our politics and NHS are in crisis, however at least we don't have Donald Trump as our president, something to be thankful for don't you agree?

People missing food can surely make most of it? Not the sausages and black pudding unless you're really dedicated :o but why would stuffing need sending in the post? It's just bread crumbs, butter, salt and pepper and herbs cooked inside a chicken/ turkey... Mince pies are also easy to make.

Most things can be ordered online or bought at a "British shop" in big cities if you're desperate.

I did used to miss some bought convenience foods, and mistakenly asked my mum specifically for supermarket mince pies when she offered to send things the first year - she sent 4 home made by her instead because she thinks supermarket ones are dreadful and everyone loves hers. For me it typified the way nobody actually understands what you miss unless they live overseas themselves. I can make my own mince pies, make dozens of them, I wanted the crappy supermarket ones!

why would stuffing need sending in the post?

It doesn't, the relative sends it as a joke really.

All of you complaining, just don't move to Austria, Switzerland or rural France.

You will appreciate the UK quite quickly.

Ah ok :o

People used to post me chocolate buttons when I lived in southern Japan. They invariably melted.

What's wrong with those places Chardonnay? I live not far from Austria and like it a lot.

It was walking into shops at Christmas time and no shade/wizard et al playing that made me homesick! It’s just the silliest of things but there it was.