26 July 2010

Things I miss about England

I have now lived in Nigeria for over two years. I love Nigeria and I often do not complain. However, I still miss a lot of things about England some of which are as follows:

  1. I miss ready access to anything – books, videos, fantastic TV features, great magazines, good shoes.

  1. I miss the European breaks – the shot hops to the Continent, to Paris in France by Eurostar (you must go First Class to really enjoy it), to Barcelona in Spain with a visit to La Ramblas, to Dublin, (I have done this for £12 return in the past), to Frankfurt, Rome, Brussels, Antwerp, etc.

  1. I miss ice-cream on carrot cake – what can beat home-made carrot cake with ‘Lidl’ Vanilla ice cream? You tell me.

  1. I miss Radio 4, Smooth FM, Classic FM, Trouble Channel, BBC TV’s Newsnight, Panorama, Impressionists Bremner, Bird and Fortune and Question Time.

  1. I miss Wimbledon – the most prestigious tennis tournament in the world. You will understand what I mean if, like me, you’ve seen Nadal and Sharapova live on the green courts of Wimbledon with strawberry and cream to match. It’s Game, Set and Match!

  1. I miss uninterrupted power supply – obviously! Not even the four sources of power supply we have – NEPA, Inverter, petrol-powered generator and diesel-powered generator can remotely compare to the simple uninterrupted supply that England effortlessly offers.

  1. I miss broadband internet - that never breaks and can stream a video without buffering. I mean real broadband internet that delivers your mail before your mouse says go.

  1. I miss not having to wash cutlery and china before usage. You must wash these items with soap and water in Nigeria because you can never tell whether cockroaches have had their own dinner with the cutlery and china before you.

  1. I miss our home in North London – you often run into world-class novelist, Oscar-wining directors and newscasters in the grocery stores and barber shop and with no pretensions too. And the restaurants are better than in the West End.

  1. I miss salad, kiwis, plums, peaches, and nectarines – although bananas, mangoes and pineapples more than compensate in Nigeria. Certainly bananas in Nigeria are a million times better than the rubber-tasting ‘thing’ they call banana in England.

  1. I miss ‘The Sunday Times’ – the best weekly newspaper in the world and the perfect completion to a Sunday afternoon.

  1. I miss the drive to the countryside with their well choreographed green and breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

  1. I miss the incredible politeness and the rather amusing general British stiff-upper-lip mannerism.

  1. I miss simple effective prayer meetings with Christian brethren who are not engaged in a shouting match at God or trying to outdo one another - simple prayer meetings where everyone is equal, where the focus is to see God’s kingdom come rather than calling forth your next 4X4 or fighting off what in many instances are imaginary enemies.

  1. I miss people, friends, colleagues, family - all of whom created the experience of England.