So, I have been posting status updates related to my home country on Facebook this week. I guess this whole thing started after watching 2 episodes of Amazing Race that were filmed in Jogjakarta, Java Island, Indonesia. Seeing the rice fields, clips of the way of life in that city, the famous Borobudur Temple and hearing the sounds of traditional Indonesian instruments, gamelan, has made me miss home. I have lived in four countries so far and never have I thought that I would miss home as much as I do now. It is official, I am home sick! And guess what, this is the first time that I have felt this feeling and let me tell you, this feeling sucks!
The question I am asking myself is “why now? It is obviously not my first time away from home!”. Looking back, I realize that I have always had the liberty to commute, good friends and a job. I was in my element, so to say.
Life in Florida, U.S.A. is a bit different. It is not too hard to cope but I do miss the freedom of being independent. Not having a car is not a problem, it is more to not having easy access to public transportation. Not having any job or income is not a problem either because there is always something I can do around my house. My biggest problem, I think, is not having friends by my side and the food that I am familiar with. Yes, I have made new friends but they are not physically reachable and yes, there is an Asian Supermarket 45 minutes away from home where I can find a lot of Asian cooking ingredients but there is always an ingredient missing. Sigh. Lucky me, I am not fussy with food. :)
In my case, Joni Mitchell is right. She once sang “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone”. I have taken things for granted. Back then, everything was so easy to get, to reach and to have. Now that I am far away from all those comforts, I have to say, I really miss them.
It is true that we don’t know what we’ve got until it is gone, but we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.
The question I am asking myself is “why now? It is obviously not my first time away from home!”. Looking back, I realize that I have always had the liberty to commute, good friends and a job. I was in my element, so to say.
Life in Florida, U.S.A. is a bit different. It is not too hard to cope but I do miss the freedom of being independent. Not having a car is not a problem, it is more to not having easy access to public transportation. Not having any job or income is not a problem either because there is always something I can do around my house. My biggest problem, I think, is not having friends by my side and the food that I am familiar with. Yes, I have made new friends but they are not physically reachable and yes, there is an Asian Supermarket 45 minutes away from home where I can find a lot of Asian cooking ingredients but there is always an ingredient missing. Sigh. Lucky me, I am not fussy with food. :)
In my case, Joni Mitchell is right. She once sang “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone”. I have taken things for granted. Back then, everything was so easy to get, to reach and to have. Now that I am far away from all those comforts, I have to say, I really miss them.
It is true that we don’t know what we’ve got until it is gone, but we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.
