What is home to you? Some would say wherever family is at, others simply call it a place they return to every night, and then there’s people who give a poetic response like “home is where the heart is.” I’m one of those people.
As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up in Australia and although I no longer live there I think about it often and long to return sometimes. The memories of childhood are embedded in my heart and my face lights up every time I reminisce… The same way my father’s face lights up when he shows us around the village he grew up in, the same way my aunt speaks of the country she immigrated from when she was a teen, the same way my American professor at university uses references from his all-American childhood to explain concepts. Although I’m building new memories where I am now, there are some things my new country of residence cannot replace.
Here are 6 things I miss about Australia in no particular order:
1. The beaches: It is no question that Australia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, and the best part? Entrance is totally free unlike many Mediterranean and European cities where you have to pay a fee to access the beach or to rent a beach chair for the day.
2. Multiculturalism: At any given moment in Australia, you could be surrounded by a Chinese, Indian, Greek, Croatian, Italian, Lebanese, Philipino etc. Being around all these different people gives you a diverse and tolerant outlook on life.
3. The accent: This one speaks for itself. I’m a sucker for accents, mate.
4. Meat pies: If you haven’t had a meat pie with gravy and mashed potato, you have not lived.
5. Family: My extended family is pretty big and there’s nothing I miss more than being surrounded by cousins, aunties, and uncles on holidays and major life events such as weddings and christenings.
6. Rugby: I was sort of a tomboy growing up and rugby has a huge following in Australia. I always looked forward to ‘footy’ season where all my cousins and I would head to the stadium to support our local team.
Remarks Of A Dreamer 