Undoubtedly the United States is one of the most convenient places to live in the world, where you have easy access to just about anything you want or need. Our current lives on a remote tropical island in the Philippines are much simpler, and almost everything, even basic necessities, can feel like a luxury. Though it’s a wonderful, life-changing experience for all of us that we’re grateful to have, that doesn’t mean we don’t miss many of the conveniences we had back in the States!

It’s been a bit of a challenge doing without many of the things we’re used to like the locals, versus embracing which modern conveniences we can’t live without. That said, here are 14 things I miss about America while living on a remote island abroad!

1) High speed internet probably tops the list – Internet is very slow everywhere (my Instagram/Snapchat rarely works), my wifi doesn’t work and only my desktop works (slowly) with a direct connection… which means no surfing my phone in bed! I miss having internet access 24/7 no matter where I was, and because I very rarely watch tv since none of the shows I used to watch are available here, I feel so unplugged. But it just becomes the new normal and this is probably the only time in my life when I will be so unplugged.

2) All the food – The local food here is very meat and rice heavy and vegetable light, and ethnic food is nonexistent. We miss broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, brussel sprouts, peas, mushrooms, fresh herbs (especially cilantro!), all the leafy greens, all the berries, mandarin oranges,  grapes, NY pizza & bagels, Shake Shack, Korean food, Mexican food, all ethnic food, cured meats, cheese, olives, pickles, croissants, Sriracha and all the hot sauce, steak, sushi, good wine/beer!

3) Cafes and Good Coffee – We love our coffee and went to cafes almost daily in New York. A good cup of coffee does not exist here.

4) Good Running Water – Our running water is well water, which means it sometimes has sediment in it and smells of sulphur. We don’t have hot water for the kitchen sink, which is tough for a germaphobe like me. During the dry season (like it is now), the wells run dry and we regularly run out of water. Most locals don’t even have running water. I will never take clean, running, hot tap water for granted again!

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5) Amazon – When I tell friends and family that there is no Amazon here since there is no mail service and addresses don’t exist, they’re shocked. We really depended on the time-saving convenience of ordering just about everything off Amazon, and being able to have anything from anywhere delivered.

6) Supermarkets – We have to go to 10 different places to get everything we need. The wet market, the dry goods market, the hardware store, the bakery, etc. that we could have purchased in one place in America. Since everything here is prepaid, the only public utility is electricity (so we have to go buy gas/water), and nothing is delivered, errands in general take a huge amount of time.

7) Drugstores – All over the counter medications are available at pharmacies. You have to tell them your symptoms and they give you the medicine. I’d just like to pick up my Immodium AD and pay for it without having to talk to anyone! Medicine is the one thing I make sure friends and family bring us when they visit.

8) Baths – We have hot showers, but we really miss taking baths. The kids used to love baths in America but hate bath time here. Olive currently bathes in a large plastic container on the bathroom floor while Charlie showers by himself.

9) An Oven (and other appliances) – I used to roast most of our meats and vegetables so I really miss having an oven. The bread here is also horrible, so I’d love to bake my own bread.

10) Punctuality – Things definitely happen on island time here, and there is no commitment to keeping appointments. If someone says they’ll stop by at 7, you don’t know if they’ll show up 2 hours late or if they’ll even show up at all. We went to a wedding this weekend and waited over an hour for it to start. We were the only suckers of course who showed up on time… almost everyone else arrived at least 45 minutes late!

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We all had to wear white for the wedding!

11) Good Customer Service – Going out to restaurants here can be frustrating because it can seem like the staff try their hardest to ignore you. Coming from a service-oriented culture, it’s been a big shift. For some reason everyone working in restaurants seems unhappy/bored/apathetic and they never return to your table once you’ve placed your order.

12) Laws – In America there are many regulations that ensure safety – speed limits, restaurant grades, etc. Perhaps sometimes there are too many regulations, but pretty much anything goes here. 5 people riding one motorcycle without helmets is a daily sight. The speeding on the main roads is really bad. There was a ferris wheel in town that looked so rickety, I wouldn’t let Charlie and Olive ride it. In general I’m very cautious here because there are no laws that are really enforced.

13) Brooklyn – I loved our life in Brooklyn. Our friends, the food, the culture, the energy, the diversity. The parks, playgrounds, libraries, bookstores, cafes.

14) Americans – Since we help run a resort here, we meet people from all over the world. Americans tend to be the warmest, friendliest, and they are always the only ones who tip! I always love running into an American here.

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What do you think you’d miss most about home if you moved to a remote destination abroad?