Travelling long term people ask me "Don't you miss home?" "What do you miss?" or "Are you longing for a vegemite sandwich?". Usually I tell them I miss the dog (my Mum's). They always look horrified by this (clearly I should miss a person or people), but I tend to find that phone and internet keeps me enough in touch with the people, but the spotted dog has never mastered the technology.
But what else? No, not vegemite sandwiches! I don't mind a bit of vegemite (the famous Australian spread we put on bread), but mostly I do like to travel with a tube (of it) purely for the point of subjecting foreign hosts to a bit of our culture. Rarely can I find a foreigner who can claim to like it, and it is fun to see the expressions on the faces of my new 'experiments'.
On the food front, sorry Mum, but I missed Asian food. Australia is so multicultural and we have such a strong Asian influence. I really like Thai dishes, I used to live a block from an absolutely fabulous Indian restaurant, and I missed getting some quick sushi rolls for lunch. Towards the end I longed for a well supplied kitchen in which I could cook a meal.
The one and only time during the whole trip that I really missed home was when I went to dance Salsa in Colombia. At that point I missed dancing salsa with Wil and Seamus, Merengue with Yann, Reggaeton with Baba, and seeing my mate Sandy's beautiful and welcoming smile whenever we saw each other at the Latin Dancing in Brisbane Square. I also missed dancing around in the privacy of my own space.
In general there were other things I missed too... Wine and walks with Susan, dropping in on neighbours Shandell and Tulin, eating Asian food with Adele, and spilling the beans with Mel. Danny's sense of humour was still there for me on my facebook account. And I did miss getting on a motorbike - whether by myself or behind someone else.
Of course, coming home, there are things in South America I will miss too. South America has less regulation, I really enjoyed that. And I kind of like it that people are expected to be smart enough to realise that there is a hole in the road or a step up or some hindrance and that they should avoid that hindrance without the responsible entity needing to spell out the obvious for us.
I will not miss South American bathrooms - Those without toilet seats. Those that don't flush. Those that obligate you to find a coin and buy the loo paper before you go in. And then those that don't obligate you to buy the paper but have no paper and then you realise too late! The ones that haven't flushed in ages when you're in desperate need. The Argentine ones that have you carefully negotiating 5mm between the loo itself and the swing of the door (making it really hard to get in, especially with a backpack!). and the hostel bathrooms with an inch of water on the floor from the last person who had a shower. I will not miss those bathrooms.
I do miss the South American culture and friendliness of it's people, particularly Argentina. Australians are friendly too... just in a very different way. Perhaps our friendliness could be described as more reserved.
Sleeping in a dorm or sharing a bathroom never really bothered me and it felt like I could go on doing it forever (this feeling might change as I get older). I did wish I had private transport to get from A to B... but for that I would want a travel companion, and for the most part I haven't had one.
In summary, in travelling I feel very much 'at home'. It's not that I don't like home. I love Australia! I think I come from the best state of a fanastic country. But there is still so much of the world to see, and I love being out there and seeing it.... I'm definitely not settling down yet!
But what else? No, not vegemite sandwiches! I don't mind a bit of vegemite (the famous Australian spread we put on bread), but mostly I do like to travel with a tube (of it) purely for the point of subjecting foreign hosts to a bit of our culture. Rarely can I find a foreigner who can claim to like it, and it is fun to see the expressions on the faces of my new 'experiments'.
On the food front, sorry Mum, but I missed Asian food. Australia is so multicultural and we have such a strong Asian influence. I really like Thai dishes, I used to live a block from an absolutely fabulous Indian restaurant, and I missed getting some quick sushi rolls for lunch. Towards the end I longed for a well supplied kitchen in which I could cook a meal.
The one and only time during the whole trip that I really missed home was when I went to dance Salsa in Colombia. At that point I missed dancing salsa with Wil and Seamus, Merengue with Yann, Reggaeton with Baba, and seeing my mate Sandy's beautiful and welcoming smile whenever we saw each other at the Latin Dancing in Brisbane Square. I also missed dancing around in the privacy of my own space.
In general there were other things I missed too... Wine and walks with Susan, dropping in on neighbours Shandell and Tulin, eating Asian food with Adele, and spilling the beans with Mel. Danny's sense of humour was still there for me on my facebook account. And I did miss getting on a motorbike - whether by myself or behind someone else.
Of course, coming home, there are things in South America I will miss too. South America has less regulation, I really enjoyed that. And I kind of like it that people are expected to be smart enough to realise that there is a hole in the road or a step up or some hindrance and that they should avoid that hindrance without the responsible entity needing to spell out the obvious for us.
I will not miss South American bathrooms - Those without toilet seats. Those that don't flush. Those that obligate you to find a coin and buy the loo paper before you go in. And then those that don't obligate you to buy the paper but have no paper and then you realise too late! The ones that haven't flushed in ages when you're in desperate need. The Argentine ones that have you carefully negotiating 5mm between the loo itself and the swing of the door (making it really hard to get in, especially with a backpack!). and the hostel bathrooms with an inch of water on the floor from the last person who had a shower. I will not miss those bathrooms.
I do miss the South American culture and friendliness of it's people, particularly Argentina. Australians are friendly too... just in a very different way. Perhaps our friendliness could be described as more reserved.
Sleeping in a dorm or sharing a bathroom never really bothered me and it felt like I could go on doing it forever (this feeling might change as I get older). I did wish I had private transport to get from A to B... but for that I would want a travel companion, and for the most part I haven't had one.
In summary, in travelling I feel very much 'at home'. It's not that I don't like home. I love Australia! I think I come from the best state of a fanastic country. But there is still so much of the world to see, and I love being out there and seeing it.... I'm definitely not settling down yet!
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