Some things I miss

Inevitably of late my mind has turned to things that I am looking forward to when I get back home for my all too brief holiday. Food, drink, places and people have been been on my mind for weeks and weeks. I know what I am going to eat first, where I want to have a pint and where I want to shop. I know where I will be going for the first few days and who I want to see. I'm mostly excited about being able to do all this with my wife.

I'm not someone who constantly pines for home. There has been no 'get me out of here moment'. Safe to say I like a lot of what I have here. Being older than most ESL teachers who arrive in Korea I have different needs and am perhaps mature enough to be able to make do with the things I have to deal with and the limitations forced upon me here. But, there are things I miss. In no particular order, bar the first three (and containing a lot of food), my miss-list.

My family,
The English language - accents and colloquialisms,
Weather, my weather,
Cheese,
Bacon,
Cottage cheese,
Good potatoes,
Skimmed milk,
Good curries,
Imported food that is inexpensive,
Grass/gardens, lovely green grass,
Fresh air,
Sausages,
Good bread that's not so sugary,
Beer - Bitter, Guinness and high quality lager,
Physical English language newspapers that report UK news mainly,
Listening to night-time radio,
A wide selection of restaurants,
Cheap books,
Football with English commentary,
Fish and chips,
A wider selection of clothes that fit me,
Cities being awake at 9am,
The queue system,
Grapefruit juice,
Sandwiches
And more...

I hope to meet up with some of those, given enough time next week. I'm not bashing Korea, Koreans or the way of life here. Things are different and that's to be respected but from time to time, you do miss the small things that you probably never appreciated of life back home.