S/O - What will you miss about where you are originally from?

[sogwap]

1. Friends. I've been here (Canada) for 10 months. I can count on one hand the friends I have here. Last week I was back in the States for a week visit, where I realized I made hundreds of friends over the years.

2. Family (self explainitory)

3. My old Job. Since it's been illegal for me as a visitor to work these past 10 months (and counting). I didn't realize how much not working has affected my self esteem.

 

[AllisonVSC]

I hear ya sogwap. I haven't worked in a year!

 

[giggles1985]

I currently live in southern California and am moving to eastern canada.

I will miss the 95%+ days of sunshine and the many, many choices of restaurants! ;D

 

[can_usa_97]

I thought of another High taxes!!
At least where we intend to settle vs where we live now, it's about half the cost (property taxes that is).

 

[err88]

Im from England moving to Quebec!
Ill miss...
The supermarkets, I miss Tesco! 24 hour bliss!
Pubs, a good old English pub. They just dont feel the same here.
Cadbury's chocolate. Im convinced it tastes different here.
Noone here understands eating beans on toast, or a baked potato with tuna on it

Im sure there are other things! You know what though, despite those things, I do love Montreal!

 

[tgchi13]

try a baked potato with a slice of swiss and tuna!

and baked beans without toast? ummmm....why ever for?

you can get English Cadbury chocolate at the numerous Brit shops, and via mail order.

anyway, what is Sweet Tea Vodka, and why? I like me ice tea unsweetened, yes even in the south, and I wonder if this is vodka infused with black tea (like making sun tea but using black tea and vodka...)

My comment about shopping is this: yeah it's nice to be able to get what you need when you need it, but let's face it, shopping 24/7 engenders dissatisfaction and overspending, which is kinda the point of always being open to allow people to spend...and while many Americans will miss buying alcohol at the grocery (you can buy wine at some here) here it would be a legal oxymoron to be able to by beer at the gas station (but you can at corner stores that choose to sell alcohol)!

 

[Cdagal]

My husband was worried that the water would be too cold here for swimming...he is used to having the ocean at his feet. But where I live there are beautiful hot mineral pools up in the hills all around, so even in the winter the water is hot and gorgeous. Makes a person not notice the snow so much

 

[sbwv09]

My comment about shopping is this: yeah it's nice to be able to get what you need when you need it, but let's face it, shopping 24/7 engenders dissatisfaction and overspending, which is kinda the point of always being open to allow people to spend...and while many Americans will miss buying alcohol at the grocery (you can buy wine at some here) here it would be a legal oxymoron to be able to by beer at the gas station (but you can at corner stores that choose to sell alcohol)!

I think you end up overspending much more when the only thing that is open is the little corner store where a small milk is 5 dollars, when you can get it at Wal Mart for much less!

It's just.. really really boring during holidays here. Back home, we could go to the mall and the movies and do things, but here everything is closed. I did absolutely nothing yesterday!

And the alcohol in the stores in the US varies wildly depending on which area you live in. I grew up in a small Christian area and you could only get it in liquor stores, but when I went away to college, I was shocked to see it in every store.. so it isn't that way everywhere. Many states also have liquor laws, where you can't buy it at all on Sunday or during certain hours of the day, or not in restaurants at all.. so it depends on which state and area you come from

 

[AllisonVSC]

I lived in Arkansas for a while where they have dry counties (no alcohol sold) and wet counties (alcohol sold). They also had dry sections in wet counties and special exemptions in dry counties. My favorite...they had drive thru liquor stores! In South Carolina liquor stores are only open 7am to 7pm by state law. Beer and wine are sold in liquor, grocery, convenience and gas stores. Most places don't allow Sunday liquor sales, but the power of tourism dollars along the coast has changed that (and a lot of other Sunday "blue" laws).

And this all reminds me of another things I miss about the US. My favorite gin is available here but at more than triple the price! And beer is a lot more expensive; at least double the price. My first visit to the Beer Store was a really confusing experience as well!

@tgchi13, I drink my tea cold and unsweetened as well; though occasionally in restaurants in the south I go for 1/2 and 1/2. Firefly Sweet Tea vodka is distilled in South Carolina (at least it was at first before it got national distribution; now I'm not sure). It is sweet tea flavored and the tea is grown in SC as well. Mixed with a little water and a wedge of lemon it tastes just like sweet tea.

 

[sbwv09]

Allison, I feel like an alcohol 'pony' every time I cross over! Friends and family all want big bottles of their favorite alcohol, lol!

 

[AllisonVSC]

I know what you mean. We stop at the liquor store every time we fly into Buffalo on our way home.

My mom and dad are coming up next week. I've already hit mom up for BBQ sauce and grits. Vodka is next! Plus they plan to stay in Niagara for a couple days. So I will go visit with them there and cross the border a couple times to go shopping before we head to Toronto. There is a great liquor store on Niagara Falls Blvd near the Queenston/Lewiston Bridge that carries my Sweet Tea vodka.

 

[can_usa_97]

Lol, it's not even like I'm a big drinker or anything -just something else that will be different. I mean I do most our shopping during the day with our kids - they are 3 so it's not like I can go for a disarono run and leave them in the car when we move back - i'll have to go when dh is along or at home. ect.

 

[BeShoo]

BTW, not sure where you are planning on living, but we have Sam's Club in the Toronto area. They are also probably elsewhere in Canada.

All 6 Sam's Clubs in Canada (pretty sure they wer all near Toronto) closed in March of 2009. They never did very much business, as far as I could see. I used to shop there several times every week at more than one location. Apparently the U.S. ones are also doing very badly but I think they're all still open.

My partner is still not happy with the Quebec store closing laws. Big stores must close at 9 pm most days, and it used to be 5 pm Saturday and Sunday, but I think it's 7 pm now for big grocery stores. The two malls near here close at 5 or 6 Monday and Tuesday, even though they are allowed to be open till 9.

Grocery stores are mostly open till 10 pm, but they are not allowed more than 3 (or maybe it's 4) customer service employees after 9 weekdays and 7 weekends.

 

[sbwv09]

Geez, beshoo, that's pretty extreme!! Heaven forbid someone who works during the day needs to get something done in the evening!

 

[Vervain]

Hahah NOTHING, I can be there in five minutes any time I want....I do miss cherry coke, and custard style yoplait yogurt But shopping in the states is no problem here.