A Love Letter To A Country I Didn’t Even Realize I Loved

Dear England,

I’m writing to tell you how much I love you. I’ve never been patriotic at all, I’ve never even liked you much, if I’m being honest. But I’ve not been in England for some time now, four months to be exact, and it’s safe to say I didn’t realise how good I had it with you. I never even realised I loved you until now.

I never thought I’d miss English weather, that was until I got told “it’s not even that cold” in Canada when it was -3 degrees and I had seven layers on. Yes it rains pretty much every single day in England but oh, how I miss the English rain when I can’t feel my fingers and everyone just keeps telling me the weather here in Canada will only get colder. I’m sorry for all the horrible things I said about your weather, England, I take them back.

Take me back to the rain.

I love you England because you’re so small. My nana always says “good things come in little packages” and now I understand what she was talking about. I never fully appreciated how perfect your size is, England, the fact that I can get from the South of England to the North in less than ten hours, the fact that really no place is that far away. I didn’t appreciate your size until I came to Canada and discovered that England can fit into Ontario four times! That if I want to go anywhere in Canada I have to be prepared for a very long bus journey or a flight. Oh, England, I’m sorry I never appreciated your size until now.

England, I love how miserable you are. From the miserable weather to the miserable people, I should have never taken your negativity for granted. Don’t get me wrong —I love how friendly we can be, but I never appreciated the miserable way in which English people do everything. Do I want to be asked excitedly if I need help with anything every time I enter a shop? No, I don’t at all, and England you get that, you get me.

I never really understood the term “there’s no place like home,” because I couldn’t wait to leave you, England. I’m sorry but it’s the truth, the world is so beautiful and amazing and travelling is probably my favourite thing. I love living in Canada —the syrup is fabulous and Tim Horton’s is the greatest place on earth, but being away from England so long, well, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

England, you aren’t really that great—as a nation we’ve done some pretty terrible things in the past. And we’re still not that great, we’ve just voted for Brexit, our tuition fees are £9000 a year (about $15,000), we never have white Christmases, we are the least patriotic people I’ve ever met, and we don’t pay that well. But you’re also pretty great. Your size, the weather, Adele, and the great food. My God I miss you, squash (the drink, not the fruit for all you Canadians).

(Squash—the best drink ever)

But most of all England, I love you because you do not have Grape flavoured candy, which I’m sorry North America, is the most disgusting food in the world.

All my love,

A homesick Brit xx

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