Ch-Ch-Changes

As I pack up my flat in preparation for my move home to Toronto in a few days (how on earth have I accumulated so much stuff in just one year?) I've been thinking about the things I'm going to miss about the UK and the things I can't wait to return to in Canada. So here we go:

Top 3 Things I'm Going To Miss
1. The newspapers. While I enjoy my Saturday Globe and Mail and my Sunday New York Times, there is nothing like the huge selection of quality and not-so-quality papers in the UK. And the free stuff that comes with them...cd's, dvd's, free theatre tickets.
2. The culture. I've seen some incredible theatre, dance, and music this year that just doesn't compare to anywhere except maybe New York. Not to mention the abundance of galleries - and so many of them for free. I know I'm going to become insanely jealous when I hear about new exhibitions at the Tate Modern and National Portrait Gallery.
3. The mail. Most things don't work in this country, but Royal Mail certainly does. Oh the ecstasy of ordering something on Amazon around midnight and having it arrive the very next day.

Top 3 Things I Can't Wait To Get Back To
1. Swiss Chalet and filter coffee. Why oh why can you not get filter coffee in this country?
2. More than four television channels and having anything (stores, cafes, businesses, anything) open past five o'clock.
3. Living in a country that actually functions. The motto for this past year was: "Logic? No logic!" No, I don't want to queue for hours just to perform a task that takes less than thirty seconds. No, I don't want to argue about the ridiculously illogical thing you want me to do or you are required to do. You wouldn't believe the examples I could insert here.

Okay, so maybe that was more than three things I can't wait to return to, but I'm sure I will be looking back fondly at my first year as a Ph.D student when I'm chomping into my quarter chicken dinner with fries.