5 Things I Miss About Home (And 5 things I don’t miss)

I’ve been away from England for a little less than 5 months now it’s got me thinking about all the things I miss (and don’t miss) about home. There are definitely certain comforts that come with sticking around at home, but on the other hand, sometimes home is the last place you want to be. So I’ve come up with a few things from both sides of the fence – things I miss massively about home, and some things I’m glad to have gotten away from.

I DO miss my family. I have 4 sisters (3 younger) whom I love to absolute bits and sometimes it sucks that I don’t get to hang out with them and do fun stuff with them and watch them grow up. I feel like I’m missing out on a lot of their lives. And obviously I miss my mum and dad and all the other parental-type people I have in my life (there are quite a few of them). Skype and emails keep me up to date, but nothing quite matches up to a proper conversation or hug from someone you love most in the world.

I DON’T miss the weather. Who needs cold, grey, rainy England when you’ve got the warm air and sunny skies of Sydney? These autumn and coming winter months in England are the worst and, since being in Sydney, I’ve come to realise that my mood is totally affected by the weather…the sun out here just puts a smile on my face everyday!

I DO miss my dog. I know this could be classed under missing my fam, but I see him as a totally separate entity from my family. He is a character in his own right. I miss him curling up at the end of my bed and keeping my feet warm on cold, wintry nights.
I DON’T miss the unemployment and lack of job opportunities. Last year when I was home I really struggled with finding a job. I was offered quite a few unpaid internships, but we all know one can’t exist in London on no money! Unemployment is the worst, but out here in Australia it seems much easier to find work. I’ve only been here a month and have already completed a job (2 weeks working the spring season at a Day Camp) and been offered another.

The not-so-awesome view from my balcony in London

I DO miss not having to pay rent, or bills. And having free wifi all the time. This is one that really gets me – every week when the rent money goes out of my bank account, or when I have to pay more to top up my phone because our flat doesn’t have wifi and I’ve used up all of my 3G allowance, I think back to the days when I still lived at home and everything was free.

I DON’T miss the need and longing to be anywhere else other than where I am. The boredom that comes with still being in the same place you’ve lived in for 25 years. Whenever I’m in London, my body may be there but my mind is always elsewhere, dreaming of the far away places that I’m going to run away and explore next. But now that I’m getting settled in a new city, everything is exciting and fresh and it hasn’t occurred to me once that I want to be anywhere else but here.

I DO miss my bed and room and all the things that come with living in one place for longer than a month at a time. I’ve always been a total nester, someone who loved to decorate a room and put all my things in their exact right place. But since I’ve started this nomadic lifestyle, I’ve obviously had to cut out a lot of stuff and leave all my precious possessions at home.

My awesome bedroom at home. Taken with an Olloclip

I DON’T miss spending all my money of public transport. Jeez, I think England must have the most expensive public transport in the world and when I was living in London, I easily spent £30 per week on my Oyster card, just travelling around the city!

I DO miss my friends and going to quintessentially English pubs. Obviously I have friends here in Sydney, but sometimes I would love to just be back in England at the pub with my uni mates, doing some ridiculously hard pub quiz or at an open mic night watching a new band or singer for the first time. This whole leaving your friends behind is a toughie.

I DON’T miss the crowds of London. Everywhere you go, whether it be on foot through Covent Garden, in the car (anywhere) or on the tube, you will always be greeted with the biggest crowds you can imagine. There are queues to do or get into just about anything, and in the summer the underground is a hot and sweaty mess. Actually scrap that. The London Underground is a hot and sweaty mess pretty much every day of the year. I’m thoroughly enjoying Sydney because, even though it is a major city, there just seems to be so much more space…everywhere!