What I landed up missing

A few months ago, when I was naive and unaware of the life that awaited me here in China, I made a list of the things that I thought I would miss about home on this very blogsite. But now almost 6 months down the line, with our Weltevreden Park home a distant memory and our 1 year anniversary looming ahead of us, I feel compelled to share the truth of the matter. I came to BJ completely ignorant of the things I needed and brought along with me the things I could very well do without. Now that I am here I am strangely surprised at the simple things that make my mouth water; and am shocked at the things that I took for granted all my life and can now appreciate with the delight of a child...

Bovril on toast, roast chicken and potatoes...cheese and biscuits with a touch of gherkin. Sunday afternoon tanning and SA radio, shopping with a trolley and travelling in a car. Big English breakfasts and Tuesday night movies; the platter for 2 at the Ocean Basket and soapies on TV. We took sport on TV and greek yogurt for granted; muesli and milkshakes and cuddling at the drive in. Family dinners and Rosie doing our ironing, picking up the telephone and going to church...
It's not quite the full list, but it gives you an idea of the things we've had to do without. Looking at it now it doesn't seem all that bad, in fact finding replacements for these foodstuffs and rituals was quite a delight at times (we have had it wonderfully easier than we expected).

But there has been something no Chinese copy could imitate, and that is time away from our wonderful family and friends. Nothing tests relationships and shows them as pure gold like the fire of time and distance. We are delighted to know that after all these months our solid friendships are still around and blessing us abundantly with their love and support. So here's to the irreplacable things in life, and the moments we should never take for granted.