Five things I miss about living in Australia

I’ve been living in South Korea for 2.5 months now. Past experience has shown me that three-month is about the time homesickness starts to kick in. Just as well I’m heading back to the Land of Oz in less than two weeks time for a two-week visit.

Here are five things I’ve missed about Australia (apart from the obvious friends and family):

1. Indicators
   Those wonderful, orange, flashy-blinky things motor vehicles use to indicate they are about to turn or change lanes. I miss them. So. Much. Instead, Korea avoids the use of single indicators, instead preferring to use the emergency hazard lights to communicate to other vehicles: sorry I didn’t put my indicator on and almost rammed your car, or thank you for allowing me to squeeze in ahead of you in this long line of cars waiting to exit the freeway because I forgot I needed to be in this lane for the turnoff.
2. Wine that doesn’t make me wince
   There’s something to said about wine that doesn’t make an eye wink like I’ve just sipped on vinegar and distort my face with a gnarly grimace. Oh well, as my dad says, you don’t drink for the taste, you drink for the effect. Right? *winces as I have a swig while writing this*
3. Not looking like I’m dressed up to mug someone
   The air quality has been so bad here we’ve had to avoid going out or when we do, often we have to wear face masks. Couple that with a hoodie and dark sunglasses and I look like I’m about to roll to 7–11.

Face masks and sunnies, minus the hoodie cos it was a nice day

4. Not having a big nose
My nose is a perfectly acceptable size… in Australia. Here, I am Cyrano de Bergerac.

5. English TV channels that play something other than CSI re-runs
You know the drill, 90 or so channels and the only English stations are playing one of the Transformers movies for the eleventy-billionth time or it’s CSI re-runs from 2009. Hmmm, choices, choices.

So, what have you been homesick for in the past?