England. I left England 7.5 years ago. I'm 30 now, so I was pretty young and though I never regret turning my back on my home country, I do miss the peace, the beauty of the countryside, the vast fields.
climbing through the trees at the back of my garden, running across a rugby field, clambering over a wire fence into my school's field, running all the way across, maybe get caught up in some 2 boys vs 10 girls football game, before going to class.
going through a little forest to a muddy or wheaty field, depending on the time of year, across a golf course, pocket some stray balls, observe some wildlife, over another field into the far side of my middle-school field.
missing the bus to school because I'm lazy and tired, having to get the public bus to school, which was 45 minutes of detouring through country roads and estates.
going through the sports field at University in the icy winter, laughing at the freezing football players, only to realize they're probably warmer than I am.
white Christmases with beautiful robins curiously looking back at me through the window.
building a pond with water features from scratch with nothing but my hands, a spade, and my granddad (who did 90% of the work. I told you, I'm lazy) in my back garden, growing gooseberry bushes, apple and pear trees and peas, raising chickens, running around the garden in the morning looking for stray eggs for breakfast.
Me when I was 15 with Henrietta
taking my dog for a walk in a national forest barely 20 minute's walk from home, seeing all kinds of butterflies and fish as I went.
blue skies and starry nights.
I'm trapped in one of the biggest mega-cities on earth. There are parks. You can cross from one side to the other in 5 minutes, but you have to charge through thousands of citizens in order to do so.
Or if I want a bigger park I can get a subway full of thousands of smelly carcasses spitting everywhere, a taxi to a crowded entrance gate with kids peeing all over the floor and in the trash bins, pay the entrance fee, follow the flow of human flesh, and surround myself in selfie sticks for a few hours before exiting and immediately facing concrete again for the next month or so.
At night, if I'm lucky, the sky is clear and I can see up to 3, maybe even 5 stars if i stare long enough.
England is a fantastically beautiful place. I've been to the Himalayas and seen the most stunning sights the world has to offer, yet I'm still drawn to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire dales and peaceful barbeques in a big homely garden, squirrels and all.
