Saturday 23 January 2016

What I miss about living in the U.K.




Here are five random things I miss about living in the U.K.


 Hey, everyone! I'm a British Expat currently living and Teaching in Thailand. Some of the things I miss about living in England I realised soon after leaving and others were brought to my attention after I'd returned home for a visit. It's like the old sayings go 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone,' and 'you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives'.

1. Conversations



I guess what I mean is, being able to communicate easily. It's something I hadn't contemplated before moving here. I only realised how much I enjoyed being around people who can speak the same language as me when I visited home, and well, you couldn't shut me up! I can speak a bit of Thai, but I'm not fluent, I can't just talk about anything and everything and I certainly could not have a deep conversation in the language. Obviously, I do have English friends here, and my partner speaks English, but it's not the same as being surrounded by people you can communicate with all the time about everything.  Let me know if you can relate with this.....


2. Seasons



And everything that goes with them. 


Thailand only has three seasons, hot, hot and hotter. Even though I do enjoy the nice climate, it can be a bit samey.  Sometimes you just want to crack out your nice boots, a woolly hat and head outside to see all the pretty autumn colours!
Ya know what I'm saying? 


........


3. Walking


No one in Thailand walks. I guess for one it's very hot in the daytime, so it's much nicer to drive around on your scooter with the wind in your face, or in a lovely air-conditioned car. But also, there is a severe lack of pavements. There are some pavements, but they're usually so packed full of street sellers you're pushed onto the road every few yards. I gave up trying to walk around. I used to live in York in England, if you've never been I'd highly recommend visiting, it's a beautiful historic city in North Yorkshire, and the thing I loved most about living there was that it was so small so you could literally walk everywhere. I've always been one for wanting to walk instead of using transport where I can, but it seems there isn't much choice in Thailand.


4. Organisation


Most of us know Thailand isn't the most organised of places, the roads are horrendous, people rarely stick to plans and the trains are always late. When my Thai partner went to England he was shocked at the fact the doors closed on the trains and left at exactly the right time, I think the words were "shit, they're leaving already?" Uhh yeah, that's the time on the ticket....

Lastly but by no means least,

5. Family



I never appreciated how nice it is to have your family so close by. There are often times in Thailand when I think that it would be lovely if I could visit my mum for a cup of tea and a nice chat. And then there's everything else you miss, all those family gatherings like birthdays and of course, Christmas, which seems to get harder every year. I wish being an expat meant your family came along with you. Luckily, I have a wonderful family who comes and visits me as often as they can, but if I didn't, I might just be sat here writing about why I miss Thailand....


:)

Thank you for reading and let me know if you relate with any of this in the comments!

Lots of love 'n' stuff

Cola

:)

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