When I lived abroad in Australia, there were so many things I missed about California, my home state.
My friends, family, friends…MY TUTUS!!! Obviously…
Within just 4 months of living abroad, I couldn’t help myself racking up the things I missed instead of falling asleep like I told my brain to do! Here are the top 10 things I missed about California when living abroad
Dave & Buster’s
Dave & Buster’s is a bar/restaurant/gaming paradise!! I have spent the past ten years of my life religiously playing, eating, and drinking at this funtastic place. Sydney didnt have this type of fun adventure where I could kick some zombie butt while kicking ass in trivia. Slot machines and general gaming lounges are at every corner down under, therefore kind of taking the place of any other type of adult gaming. Especially, if it doesn’t involve gambling.
Billiards to skeeball to Racing to Zombie killing. You name it, Dave & Buster’s had it.
In Australia….
Billiards to skeeball to Racing to Zombie killing…YOU NAME IT – and they all look at you like a DODO
Del Taco
Now, this one I knew was going to be an issue the second I decided to move here. Del Taco had quite the hold over me, especially at the 3 am hour…some might even call it my kryptonite.
Even though it is really bad… I mean like, really not good quality…most might even say crap. It was the love of my life when out late and I will defend it till us part ( or however vows go?) Carnitas Fries, macho burritos, Mexican pizzas, it’s a drunk Hot Messes dream.
I never found anything like it in Sydney. They had no fast food “Mexican” places I could even compare to. Most 3 am food consisted of kabob stands(which were beyond delicious) but not the fake Mexican food I needed before beddy time. Actually, the kabob stands in Sydney might have done the job… better??? Even better if they had Del Sorcho sauce 🙂
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s is by far the best place IN DAAAA WORLD!!! I grew up going there shopping with my mom to buy chocolate and other stuff (but mostly chocolate). I always imagined that I would meet my future husband there, as we reached for the same coconut water simultaneously, you know, like in those rom-com grocery store movies?
Even though Sydney had many similar stores with unique items and quality items, none of the stores had Trader Joe’s price.
I’d have to meet a husband FIRST who is well off to be even able to afford groceries there, so it really works backward with this “meeting the man of my dreams at the market” scenario.
The Imperial Measurement System
This one kills me. Not because I necessary miss it in the sense I think about it when I am bored, just in the sense of I do not understand the new system therefore I feel retarded. I miss miles, and feet and inches sooooooo soooooo badly. I am starting to get use to the metric system, but it doesn’t come naturally whatsoever. I hear someone say kilometres and still think, “Yea.. no, no idea”.. It is still as foreign as any other language.
So typical for America to just be stubborn and use all the types of measurement that NO ONE ELSE USES!!!
AND Celsius? What the heck! Aint nobody got time for datt!!!!!!
Mexican Food and Mexicans
Mexican food, good Mexican food here is as rare as me placing a lid on correctly(so really, it’s non-existent). I know there a some good Mexican places in Sydney, not saying there is not, they are just harder to come by, more expensive, andddd
THEY DO NOT COME WITH FREE CHIPS AND SALSA!!! 🙁
And of course along with Mexican food I miss their awesome counterpart..
I miss just STRAIGHT UP MEXICANS!!
A very large percent of my friends back home are Mexican and it really is just weird to see nothing but white people every. I miss the taco guy, I miss hearing mariachi music, and I miss hearing the language.
I need some brown in my life
Medicine aka DRUGS
So medicine, lets get into this one shall we. Trying to get drugs in this country is ridiculous! And no I am not referring to our basic drugs that are illegal back home such as cocaine which will cost you a good 300 bucks a gram for horrible quality or pill that is made from sugar for all you know. No no, no drugs like that.. I am talking about legit medicine.
As I have already mentioned, many drugs such as Xanex are illegal here. Which is just insane since back in Orange Country Xanex is considered a major food group.
But I cant even get “normal” drugs over the counter. I used to take Tylenol pm to sleep back at home, I can’t find anything like it here without a prescription. The sleeping aid I got from the Pharmacist was equal to our children allergy medication back at home. So unless I was trying to fall asleep in a fabulous field of Daisies when I was FIVE, it was useless.
And when they give you a prescription, good luck trying to get a refill!
Ordering a Regular Coffee
In the morning, all this American girl wants is a freaking coffee. Not a latte or macchiato. JUST A REGULAR BLACK COFFEE. Here in Australia, you cannot go up to a place and ask for a coffee they will look at you like a retard in confusion on exact what it is you are asking for. A regular coffee back at home is called a long black here, but even then it still isn’t the same – its about a quarter of a cup full- an espresso with some water. When I try ordering an Americano, nope still doesn’t work. Now that I work, and I work a lot, there is no more time to waste trying to “try” and order what I want. I recently got down to it, literally. I went down to one of the cafes below my office building and spilled my sob story on my oh so important coffee problems.
The three boys heard me out on this horrible struggle of mine and from now on, every time I walk by they are ready to hand me my beautiful regular coffee. Hopefully spit free:/
In N Out
Everyone knew this one was coming. No one moves out of California without thinking if their life would reallyyyy be worth living out the taste of In N out. Delicious double doubles with grilled onions, animal style fries and a chocolate shake. Nothing tastes quite like it and nothing hits the spot more on a hungover Sunday afternoon (after church of course 😉 )
I have yet to find a hamburger here in Australia that I really am fond of.
Which is probably a better thing.
Unlimited Mimosas Brunch
Okay, without thinking I am an alcoholic, just know, that unlimited mimosa brunches are a very very popular thing back in the OC an LA. It is the star feature of everyone’s, “Sunday Funday”. Which involves waking up at 10 am, going to the local bar/pub and for 20 dollars getting all you can drink mimosas + meal and let the road of recovery from the night before begin! In the morning, nothing beats some delicious eggs benedict with a glass of champagne mixed with some fresh squeezed orange juice.
NOTHINGGGGGG!!!
Naked Photo Hunt
This one will be foreign to many of you, so just bare with me and hear me out before you think I am a freak! This is a game, a quite popular game now, in which, I have excelled at for the past 7 years of my life. It has not only been one of my best friends at any bar, but it has also been the gateway to making many friends. Naked photo hunt is a game on video gamers we have at most bars back at home. The screen is split in half with the same picture twice, but there are 5 differences one needs to find in order to move on to the next round.
This could be a nipple, this could be some bangs, a heel, whoo knows???
But I always find out one nipple and one belly button at a time 🙂
Ba Ba Ba Ba Bacon
If I would of known that the bacon we have in the states was different then the bacon here, I would of made sure to smuggle some in my bra!!! Though Australia has bacon, duh, they have pigs, it is completely different slice.
The taste – ehh
The texture- ehhh
It doesnt even COMPARE to our crispy goodness.
I mean, look how beautiful it is….
Australia’s…..
Exactly.
1. THE LETTER R
This is something I never pictured myself ever saying ever in my life time, but my friends, it is true. As much as I absolutely LOVE AUSSIE accents, and still have a very strong weakness when the men say stupid things in my ear, it has came to a point where all I really really want someone to pronounce the letter RRRRRRRRR. Aussies just don’t pronounce it, its like its not even there, its completely neglected,.
It gets NO LOVE : (
Everything is SISTAA, PRESSURAAAA, Dinnaaaa LATTTAAA, Freshaaaa. I need some ERRRRRR everyone once in a while you know?
So that is pretty much the top things that are missing in this lovely Aussie life of mine.
There are plenty of things that almost made the list but I ran out of time to include them. Don’t worry, I am sure there will be much more to this list the longer I am away from good ole Cal-i-forn-ia.
It is good to miss things, I believe.
Makes you think. Makes you feel. Makes you look deeper into yourself on exactly what it is about things you miss verse things you do not.
Missing helps you learn about yourself. Helps you cope. Helps to be stronger. Makes me feel alive. But most importantly it makes me appreciate the small things, like this list. Small things you never even think about until you miss them. Small things that really are big things like gratitude and appreciation for my friends and my family, as I know, I am only so lucky to have so many in my life to miss <3