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Americans living in Europe, Europeans living in America: what do you miss?

Americans living in Europe, Europeans living in America: what do you miss?

Old Mar 15th, 2001, 05:56 AM
  #1  
Paige
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Americans living in Europe, Europeans living in America: what do you miss?

I was going to respond to the other similar thread, but since I live in Germany my circumstances are a bit different. I thought it would be interesting to hear what others in the same situation miss from home. I miss having 50 English TV channels! I also miss all the healthy, low fat options (canned soup, etc) at the grocery store. And my family and friends, of course. The longer I live here, the less I miss. Anyone else?
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 06:28 AM
  #2  
xxx
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My boyfriend is from England and he misses all of the vacation time that you get - and let's not start with the bank holidays! If he didn't get the English Premier League games here, I don't know how he'd cope at all.
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 06:31 AM
  #3  
Paige
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Oh yeah, I miss Sunday afternoon football games on TV. I used to be a Cowboys fan and I don't know anything about them anymore.
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 07:54 AM
  #4  
sylvia
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I'm back now, but I missed the BBC and my husband had a sudden craving for kippers one day. We ended up having to get canned ones.
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 11:36 AM
  #5  
Theo
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20 ounce 7-11 coffee for long commutes.
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 01:01 PM
  #6  
Linda
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While living in Europe I miss big thick Sunday newspapers and, believe it or not, after a year or so, Arby's roast beef. Now I've returned to the States and miss British comedies, outdoor cafes, and the slower pace of life. (I HATE being hustled out of a restaurant when I'm sitting there talking to friends!! And why do I have to get my second course when I haven't even finished my first?)
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 02:01 PM
  #7  
Kim
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I'll have to speak for my husband. He misses having his buddies around to talk football with. He also is frustrated with how bad Americans are at soccer, and while he plays on a team with mainly Irish and English, they still have to play against Americans. One benefit, though, is that he can actually watch more football here than he would in Ireland and the U.K. because of the satellite service here.

He misses just meeting up with people at the pub, instead of having to arrange things 2 weeks ahead of time here.
 
Old Mar 15th, 2001, 02:08 PM
  #8  
xxx
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Kim, Don't you have an English or Irish pub in your city/town? My boyfriend always goes to the George and Dragon here in Seattle and never has to arrange to meet anyone as they're always there! It's just like one back home.
 
Old Mar 16th, 2001, 07:26 AM
  #9  
Kim
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There are a lot of Irish pubs in our city, but they certainly are not just like the ones back in Ireland. However, they are better than the standard American bars.
 
Old Mar 16th, 2001, 07:39 AM
  #10  
Santa Chiara
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I've been thinking about this question ever since it was posted. The things I miss? (1) I miss a variety of cuisines (Tex-Mex, Thai, Chinese), but then, I have the freshest vegetables and meat one can imagine, and I am healthier than I have ever been. (2) I miss vegging out in front of television after a long day at work; it's just too difficult to always be translating, but I read, write and exercise more than ever. (3) I miss having to adjust my schedule around the stores' opening and closing times, rather than their adjusting to my schedule, but I sure don't miss the ubiquitous malls and the same stores from coast to coast. (4) I miss good ol' American sales; no qualifiers on this one. (5) I miss being able to conduct everyday transactions without having to look a word up and think what I am going to say before conducting business. (6) Finally, I really miss being in a culture where I am considered relatively thin, as opposed to being in one surrounded 24/7 by gorgeous Italian women.
 
Old Mar 16th, 2001, 07:50 AM
  #11  
Judy
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Fabulous thread, I love it. Keep 'em coming. This topic is sooo fascinating to me. In the AJC, they had articles about the "Marshall scholars" from the Atlanta area living in the UK....and what they missed while there: non BSE red meat,baseball, southern accents, and finally "the ease of living in America" according to one of the scolars. FYI, if you are interested read about it at www.acu.ac.uk/~marshall/marshal.html
Judy
 
Old Mar 17th, 2001, 03:35 PM
  #12  
Lauren
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I am an American who lives in the US. Almost every summer I do a home exchange in Europe. The things I miss while "living" in my home exchange homes are:

1. Large American washing machines and electric dryers.

2. Having a dryer at all.

3. Having central heating that actually works.

4. Having air conditioning at all.

5. Access to the freshest produce even in the off season.

6. American steaks.

7. Homes connected to a sewer system as opposed to dealing with a septic tank.

8. Circuit breakers as opposed to a fuse box.

9. Understanding all the nuances--and jokes--in a film.

10. The price of gasoline.

11. The lower taxes.
 
Old Mar 17th, 2001, 03:46 PM
  #13  
Jane
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As a Brit living in the US i miss 'proper' bacon with actual meat in it and not just fat, Cadbury's chocolate and organic food!
 
Old Mar 17th, 2001, 07:08 PM
  #14  
kalena
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As a long-ago transplanted finn in Hawaii, I miss the wonderful dairy products and breads of my birth country, berries in season, wild mushrooms, and of course, my cousins. I also miss the finnish conservation ethic and the country's support of classical music and art. Lastly, I miss saunas with a nice cold beer afterwards.
 
Old Mar 17th, 2001, 08:13 PM
  #15  
Rhonda
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While living in Greece a few years ago, what I missed from the U.S was strong water pressure, air conditioning, prime rib (U.S.D.A) inspected and fashionable shoes and clothes (I love to shop). Now that I'm back home, what I miss about Greece is the scenery, the beautiful wildflowers that grew in my back yard, the beaches but, most of all the wonderful people that I met there especially, "him".
 
Old Mar 18th, 2001, 02:06 AM
  #16  
C.
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I'm American living in England. Having been away three years now, the thing missed most is convenience. Being able to go to the grocery store at 5.30pm on Sunday, or the post office after 5. There are a few small things I miss too, plain old Cheerios in the yellow box, instead of the sugar laden ones sold here and Reese's Peanut Butter cups when I'm looking for a small treat. The slower paced lifestyle is nicer, as well as being able to walk in our town as opposed to having to drive everywhere like in the states. The access to incredible travel is the number one benefit to living abroad. A weekend get away is usually somewhere fantastic that people in the states plan months or years to go to.
 
Old Mar 19th, 2001, 11:54 AM
  #17  
Annie
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When I lived in Ireland, I missed:

Decent sizes of products at the grocery store;
Dryers that could handle more than one sweatshirt at a time;
Not having chips served with every single meal at a restaurant (such as lasagna and chips, fajitas and chips, etc.);
The sun;
Warm weather;
Inexpensive Levis and sneakers;
Inexpensive CDs;
Better restaurant selection (the good restaurants in Ireland match up very well to the good restaurants in the U.S., but there just aren't as many of them);
Snowplows;
Screens on windows;
Big refrigerators;
Volleyball;
Good showers;
Recent movies.

Now that I'm back here in the U.S., I miss:

Pubs (you can actually here yourself think in them, and have a conversation);
The beer;
Wonderful potatoes and bread;
My much better social life (people just don't go out as much here--it seems like it's more of an effort to enjoy life);
Being able to get out into the gorgeous countryside from the city in about 15 minutes (this was in Belfast--not Dublin!);
No snakes! (makes hiking wonderful);
Long summer nights;
The few days when the weather crept above 60F;
The humor;
How genuine people are.

 
Old Mar 19th, 2001, 11:30 PM
  #18  
Christine
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After living in Europe (NL and CH) for over two years I find that like other Posters I miss thick Sunday Newspapers, more unrestrictive shopping hours so that I can window shop on rainy dreary Sundays(a love-hate relationship actually), college football games, and my favorite American television sit-coms.

Things I don't miss: terrible or non-existant public transportation, Highly engineered and overly "fake plasticy" looking tasteless fruits and vegetables and lack of organic choices, Hormone injected meat and dairy products (strange that some people are more concerned with BSE!), bland bread and cheeses, SUV's, strip malls and "hamburger rows", American Professional Sports, only 2-3 week a year vacation time, the lack of hiking trails and parks and more accessible public spaces, The keeping up with the Joneses mentality that exists.
 
Old Mar 20th, 2001, 02:53 AM
  #19  
mco
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American living in Zurich for the last 2 years. It is sort of a love hate thing - I love being able to ski within an hour, 5 weeks vacation (and pressure to take it!), going, like one poster said, to places on the weekend that most Americans plan 6 months for, being able to drive to 4 other countries within about 2 hours. On the flip side, I miss convenient shopping hours -especially Sunday shopping, I hate that sales only happen here twice a year, everything is ridiculously expensive (except champange, oddly enough) and the Swiss are very "guarded" in making friends with foreigners. (This is not exactly welcome wagon territory). Most of all I miss my friends I guess - Americans are really some of the most outgoing people on the planet (for better or for worse). Oh!! And a good USDA Angus beef filet....what a dream!
 
Old Mar 20th, 2001, 03:54 AM
  #20  
Paige
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Like everyone else I miss convenient shopping hours. I think someone else mentioned this, but I miss fresh tasting skim milk. The stuff here is sold warm and in a carton. After you open it you can't seal it back up, and it tastes funny. I also miss being able to communicate effectively.
 

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