Very few may know this (until now that is) but shortly after Aidan was born, I was offered a job in Dubai and we were seriously considering to relocate there. Although we decided to stay in South Africa after some serious consideration, I often wonder how things would have turned out should we have gone. Had the job offer been in London however, I think our decision may have differed.

For one, Kurt had lived there for a while and I think we’d have settled in a lot easier than in Dubai. Nevertheless, it would have still been a big decision to make whether to leave South Africa or not.

If we were ever to say goodbye and book flights to London , or any another country for that matter, there’d be quite a few things that I’d miss about our rainbow nation:

Table Mountain

Search #CapeTown on social media and you’ll most likely find that 90% of the images will display an image of this iconic wonder of the world.  As Capetonians, we use it as a landmark to find our way around, we love to climb it and call it home.

Not having sight of this beaut on a daily basis, will seriously make me miss home.

4 seasons in one day

This is more of a Mother City thing, but I would certainly miss the unpredictable weather, Like leaving your house with your warmest coat on, on a cold Winter day, and then just a few hours later you’ll be taking it off and wishing you’d worn a short sleeve shirt.

Summer days in the middle of Winter (just enough to lift our moods) is classic in most parts of South Africa and compared to the dark and dreariness of a London climate, this would definitely damper my mood.

The slang

Having 11 different languages spoken throughout South Africa, we probably won’t find another country with more slang expressions in different languages! I would definitely miss hearing Aikona, O Genade, Lekker, Haibo and Eina on a daily basis.

The food

Jislaaik! I would definitely miss the koesiesters, gatsby’s, slap chips, niknaks, vetkoek … the list goes on.

Gosh, how would I even survive?

Driving (on the left side of the road)

Kurt and I spent a month in Europe for our honeymoon and nothing freaked me out more than driving on the opposite side of the road. It would take me a while before I could get used it. Also, in London public transport is the preferred means of transport to get around so I would definitely miss the luxury and freedom of having my own space to and fro.

If you were to relocate to London or anywhere else in the world, what would you miss most about South Africa?

xxx

Hayley

** This post was done in collaboration with Travelstart.