What do you miss most?

The first time I travelled for an extended period of time I fell into a hostel discussion of what we missed most. I had been out about 3 months thus far and the other anywhere from 6 weeks to 10 months already.
By far the cleverest response was from an American from the Midwest. He said that he only missed the one true American thing....excess.
It was true I had been dying to find a soda bigger than the size of my head for a few days. That and some queso.

As I'll be living abroad for the next couple of years I wonder this.....what is the one thing you miss that you were most surprised to find yourself longing for?


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I'm not proud to say it, but yes, coffees and diet cokes to go. I feel better when I remind myself that now that I became used to not having takeaway things, I'm more aware in the US and try to bring my own cup, etc. But even in eastern Europe, takeaway coffee is a new thing.

Tortillas in the supermarket.
Browsing in a bookstore / the availability of English books on everything at a reasonable price / used books.

Your food cravings will be the weirdest things. After two years away from the US I started having immense cravings in my dreams for Jack in the Box Jumbo Jacks. No other burger would do it. Thing is at home I never eat them. My first day home I went out and got three of them. Ended up with horrible indigestion.

Cheap and plentiful Mexican food options. And $40 Levi's. And watching the sun set with friends on the beach in LA or Honolulu.

BILTONG!!

it's kind of like jerky but so much better and oh soooo yummy! it's a South African thing and i miss it so much when i'm living abroad!!! i do however always seem to find other South Africans living abroad that make their own biltong or know of people who make it!!

Coffee to go is just barely starting to arrive here, but I think the Ukrainians will still screw that up.

Mexican food.

Donuts.

Customer Service.

Movie theaters that don't dub everything.

Drivers that have some semblance of understanding of basic safety and the rules of the road. (No place in America can compete with Ukraine for terrible drivers.)

I miss:
the simplicity of getting replacement parts for vehicles
ice in sodas
free refills--it's not that I'm cheap, it's just the principle of it!
not paying for extra ketchup
being able to do yard work on Sunday (only when it's the only day available for me to catch up on stuff, of course!)
the convenience of getting anything you may need after "normal business hours" in the local area
not having to argue with a vehicle inspector about the legality of aftermarket (or self-made) parts on my vehicle

That being said, there's so much more that I'll miss about Europe if/when we ever move back to the US!

I miss the singlish way of speaking. I'm so used to hearing it that it's like music to my ears when I hear it while overseas. The sense of familiarity returns and it momentarily fixes any homesickness I might feel while on the road.

My first months in South Korea I missed the Kiwi accent because all I heard were American accents and people who had been taught english by Americans . Then it was I missed certain foods such as mince and cheese pies and fish and chips (I travelled to Seoul 1hr and 30 minutes away for a facsmile of fish and chips). Having said that things that I didnt know i missed until i got home was clean air (smelling only of pine trees and the sea) and having personal space.

Another thing I really missed before I learned the language was listening in on people's conversations. 90% of it is boring but every once and awhile it's brilliant.

And cheap books!

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Things I miss from the US:

1. Mexican Food. All. The. Time.

2. American Peanut Butter.

3. Customer service (Dear Westpac Bank - I'm a customer who needs help, not an adversary).

4. 24 hour anything.

When/if I move back from Oz I'll make a list of all the Australian things I miss. Tim-tams, sausage rolls, Cooper's Pale Ale, footy, Spicks & Specks....

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Another thing I really missed before I learned the language was listening in on people's conversations

That's funny ... I miss NOT being able to understand! Harder to read on public transport without being distracted.

I can't read while in motion, well I can, but I think the other passengers would be a little put off by the nausea.. And there was two times in which something really hilarious happened on the metro and someone was making fun of it with me and I had no idea what was being said. Still today I wonder what they were saying to me


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1. Mexican Food. All. The. Time.

This does seem to be a common theme

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2. American Peanut Butter.

We have peanut butter here. The packaging is in stars and stripes, red white & blue, and is called "American Peanut Butter"

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Originally posted by KateL57:

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Another thing I really missed before I learned the language was listening in on people's conversations

That's funny ... I miss NOT being able to understand! Harder to read on public transport without being distracted.

Agree with Katie! I love being being able to shut out surrounding conversations. Of course, the more you learn the language, the harder it gets. (Ahem, not that I know *too* much about that)