It comes and goes. A month or so ago I was convinced that I was going back to the UK and started looking for jobs and areas I wanted to live. But I came to my senses. I'm sure I'll have another bout in the near future but got it too good here to leave.
Expats, do you ever get homesick?
- Thread starter kwerk
- Start date
You miss thing you cant get, when it comes to food.
Salt and Vinegar crisps were like gold dust in the Expat community in Korea.
Branston pickle was another. Cheese was expensive and not that good a good mature cheddar was like buying gold or something.
Missed bacon in America, Real bacon not that rubbish they call bacon that is not suitable for sandwiches and good chocolate, Hersheys is the food of the devil.
Pork & Beer when in the Middle East or some of the more muslim countries obviously (Saudi & Iraq). But in places like Indonesia and Dubai you just have to go the Haram section to buy your infidel food.
I didn't miss my family much day to day, skype/facetime calls home and a busy life,
BUT when my mother died while I was in Korea i have never felt as alone and as far away from my family and friends.
Ok it took me an extra day to get home, driving back up north in the UK compared to flying home from Korea but it was strange, sat on my 20th floor apartment looking out over the bright lights of Seoul at 4am wishing i wasn't there.
Its a shame now cause my 2 biggest memories of Korea are meeting my wife and hearing about my mothers death, kinda opposite extremes.
Salt and Vinegar crisps were like gold dust in the Expat community in Korea.
Branston pickle was another. Cheese was expensive and not that good a good mature cheddar was like buying gold or something.
Missed bacon in America, Real bacon not that rubbish they call bacon that is not suitable for sandwiches and good chocolate, Hersheys is the food of the devil.
Pork & Beer when in the Middle East or some of the more muslim countries obviously (Saudi & Iraq). But in places like Indonesia and Dubai you just have to go the Haram section to buy your infidel food.
I didn't miss my family much day to day, skype/facetime calls home and a busy life,
BUT when my mother died while I was in Korea i have never felt as alone and as far away from my family and friends.
Ok it took me an extra day to get home, driving back up north in the UK compared to flying home from Korea but it was strange, sat on my 20th floor apartment looking out over the bright lights of Seoul at 4am wishing i wasn't there.
Its a shame now cause my 2 biggest memories of Korea are meeting my wife and hearing about my mothers death, kinda opposite extremes.
Ales from Kent
Sweet Chilli Sauce is stupidly hard to find here, although I do believe I've found a store (by random chance)
That's about it. Friends who are friends make the effort and come and say hi. Not massively close to my family so I don't miss them. I have other friends whom I miss and cannot make it out. But I'll catch up with them at some point.
The UK in general though, not at all.
Sweet Chilli Sauce is stupidly hard to find here, although I do believe I've found a store (by random chance)
That's about it. Friends who are friends make the effort and come and say hi. Not massively close to my family so I don't miss them. I have other friends whom I miss and cannot make it out. But I'll catch up with them at some point.
The UK in general though, not at all.
Associate
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- 2 Dec 2003
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- Inverness Scotland
I take it "ExPat" is just a w**** British way of saying immigrant?
To my understanding the term expat originated from those who were sent to work in foreign countries by their employers for work.
It's been widely picked up by those who do the same but of their own accord, though.
I was in Moscow for 5 years - I had to leave once they banned the import of cheddar cheese 
I also missed normal crisps, fish and chips, the ease of doing things in UK (utilities, insurance, etc.) and had to smuggle in my Marmite supply. To be honest though it was great fun living there and the restaurants/night life were amazing. And for the first 3 years proper sliced bread - the long life American crap they imported was too sweet. Felt safer living there than I did in London.
Now I miss being an expat
I also missed normal crisps, fish and chips, the ease of doing things in UK (utilities, insurance, etc.) and had to smuggle in my Marmite supply. To be honest though it was great fun living there and the restaurants/night life were amazing. And for the first 3 years proper sliced bread - the long life American crap they imported was too sweet. Felt safer living there than I did in London.Now I miss being an expat
Associate
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- 26 Nov 2009
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- 1,232
The weather, honestly.
expat = expatriate worker to me it means working outside of the UK cause of work requires it,
Every year we have to fill in a form as part of our assessment saying with countries we are prepared to travel to on trips, short term assignments and long term.
Some people aren't prepared to go to France on a business trip some people will go and work in war zone for multiple years. Working in Oil and Gas you can imagine some of the lovely places on the list.
My way of looking at it has always been i'll go anywhere on a trip as long as the security is in place, for anything over 3 months has to be somewhere i can take the wife with me.
But Phate is right the term has been kinda corrupted to include people immigrating to other countries of their own accord.
Every year we have to fill in a form as part of our assessment saying with countries we are prepared to travel to on trips, short term assignments and long term.
Some people aren't prepared to go to France on a business trip some people will go and work in war zone for multiple years. Working in Oil and Gas you can imagine some of the lovely places on the list.
My way of looking at it has always been i'll go anywhere on a trip as long as the security is in place, for anything over 3 months has to be somewhere i can take the wife with me.
But Phate is right the term has been kinda corrupted to include people immigrating to other countries of their own accord.
Wood & Brick bread is the best in Seoul better than your Paris Baguette rubbish.
Outside Seoul your screwed basically, if your don't like Korean food then get used to pizza (koreans put WEIRD things on pizza as well "sweet potato and prawns with cream? though bulgogi pizza is great) McDonalds and Burger King.
Since 2010 and 2016 there are some better stores for "western but not US" food in Seoul but they are expensive, you know you miss home when you pay 6,000 KRW for a pack of chocolate Hobnobs.
It's a contraction of a word that has a definition. What's "w****" about it? Too many syllables for you?
And its derivation is Latin. Ex for out, and patria for native country. So if you don't like it take it up with those bloody Romans. I mean, what did they ever do for us?
Depends on your perspective. I'm sure the residents of Germany/Spain/etc view English people as 'immigrants'. Possibly even as people 'stealing their jobs'.
I'm not saying living or working in a foreign country is a bad thing, far from it in fact, I'd love to do it. I just find it hilarious how some British people living abroad always dub themselves 'expats' whilst simultaneously raging about immigrants.
that's why i'm leaving, let the little islanders keep their precious little island. it's a nation with all the aspirations of a shopkeeper
B@
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I'd love it to be mandatory DNA tests from that 23andme company. I wonder how people would claim to be "truely British" after that
I've lived in Germany for quite a lot of my adult life (ex forces). I actually miss living in Germany more than the I do living in the UK now. I go back every year and fall in love with the place all over again, that may be due to where I go being the Nürburgring though! 
The Aquaduct?
Agree but in this context, UK forum talking about what you miss from home, then we are more emigrants from the motherland rather than immigrants to our respective new nations.
I am always acutely aware that I am not a citizen of where I live. Probably why I never rage about immigrants.