Sponsored Listings:
Moving abroad is awesome. It’s a chance to explore a new country and culture long-term. But we won’t judge you if, upon learning that you’d be spending a significant amount of time abroad, your first instinct was to head to the grocery store and buy a suitcase-load of American foodstuffs to take with you (because who knows when you’ll next be able to get Lucky Charms?). Are there things expats don’t miss about the States? Oh, definitely. But there’s still plenty about American life that makes everyone a little nostalgic for home. Read on for 17 of the things American expats miss most, depending on where they are living abroad, and then start planning your own trip — be it for a week or a decade — here.
1. Peanut Butter
2. Bagels
Because nothing will ever compare to the perfect chewiness of a real New York-style bagel.
3. Mexican food
Mexican cuisine is some of the best in the world, and as the country’s neighbor we’ve been spoilt, with food trucks, casual restaurants, and fine dining establishments selling everything from tacos to mole all over the place. To leave this behind and head to a country where a burrito isn’t a diet staple is rough.
4. Being able to get anything delivered
You can get anything delivered in America: pizza, groceries, pre-made meals, partially pre-made meals, beauty product samples, professionally-styled clothing, cars, electronics. You can sit on your couch and imagine almost anything you could want on the planet and have it delivered to your doorstep within a week, or maybe even the next day. And it’s a luxury you don’t truly appreciate until it’s gone.
5. People who understand your American culture-based jokes
“Oh, this totally reminds me of that SNL sketch that Kristen Wiig used to do with the small arms…” you ramble on to your foreign coworker who returns your excitement with a dead-eyed stare.
6. Diversity
America is richly diverse in culture, race, religion, sexuality, and just about everything else. This melting pot is often a source of tension, but it’s also one of the country’s greatest assets, which becomes even clearer when you move to a country that’s a lot more homogenous.
7. Healthy food
Though America certainly has a reputation abroad for being the fast food capital of the planet, the truth is, it’s also a country where it’s very easy to get affordable, healthy, vegetable-heavy food on the go.
8. Road rules and people who follow them
All countries have traffic laws, sure. But there are many places where things like traffic lights and lane designations are seen more as light suggestions than strict standards.
9. Wide roads and parking spaces
Because parallel parking in tiny spaces is an anxiety attack no one should have to suffer through on a daily basis.
10. Not having to go to lots of different stores to run all your errands
Say your shopping list includes milk, chicken, a rain jacket, a cookbook, printer ink, a children’s toy, a sleeping bag, and party decorations. Go ahead and count up how many stores you’d need to go to in your current country of residence to get all of those items. In the US? Just one.
11. Big appliances
Large dishwashers. High capacity laundry machines. They almost make housework enjoyable.
12. Coffee creamer
Do Americans really like coffee? Or do we just want an excuse to drink sugar and flavored cream? Either way, the powdered junk or plain milk we’re forced to use abroad just makes a morning caffeine fix a little less enjoyable.
13. Never having to deal with cash
Being able to swipe plastic almost anywhere is incredibly convenient. Having to constantly have exact change and count coins and use ATMs? Not so much.
14. “The Customer Is Always Right”
Customer service in the US isn’t perfect, but you learn to appreciate it pretty quickly after learning how terrible it can be elsewhere.
15. Being able to control the temperature all the time
It doesn’t really matter what the weather is like outside when you’ve got A/C and heating to remedy any extremes.
16. Salad dressings
Oh, so you want me to just put plain mayonnaise or olive oil on my salad? Where’s the Ranch? Or the Honey Walnut Vinaigrette? Or the Organic Gluten-Free Asiago Peppercorn Caesar?
17. Big living spaces
Does only half of the furniture you brought from the US fit in your new home? Does your shower only allow you to extend your arms six inches out from your body? Does your kitchen have only enough counter space to fit a single cutting board? While we (probably) don’t need as much space as we think we do, it sure is hard to get used to having less.
18. The American-style burger
Because no matter how far you travel, you may never be able to find a burger as good as your favorite one from home.
Source: gogobot.com