If you're a TCK, you know how much we treasure food from our home country. It is a delicacy, to be eaten as a special treat. For me, it was Hagelslag, a Dutch breakfast food that was nowhere to be found except for in Holland. The same went for Dutch licorice, my favorite candy that became rare for me to get my hands on. Whenever we had a visitor, we always asked them to bring things for us. It was like a exchange; you bring us Dutch food and we'll give you a place to stay. So they would come bearing packs of Hageslag and licorice, and the thoughtful ones would even bring Dutch magazines.These products would be stored in a special cupboard that we were only allowed to take from if we asked our parents. It has like the holy grail of the house.
Friends and family didn't have it too bad, my parents never allowed us to ask for more then two products. This was always a hard choice, and my brother and I would sit and plan which products we would ask for together, to get the most out of the opportunity. When my Dad went on bussiness to Holland however, it was a whole different story. There were no limits then, and "the list" would be produced. A list of items which we "needed". This included toiletries, clothing items, food, books, magazines, anything that was remotely Dutch. We got greedy at the opportunity to get our hands on Dutch things. This often resulted in my Dad having to buy a extra suitcase just to fit everything in to bring back. His coming home was always the best. We would sit around his suitcase and bask in the glory of Dutch products, and be giddy for days on end.
This wasn't only for Dutch products. When we moved to Vietnam, we started to miss Chinese food. I missed Pretz and Pocky snacks while my brother wanted to get his hands on some Hi-Chew candy. So whenever my Dad went to China for business (and this was quite often), he would bring this stuff back from us. It was a little piece of the past, and whenever we devoured our treats, it would always bring back memories.
The reason I'm writing a post on this is because I have been sent "the list". Me now being in Western civilization, I can get my hands on things that are not available in Vietnam. The list includes toiletries from Boots, books, and Easter chocolate. I'm glad to bring this stuff back for them, as I know how much I always enjoyed it when people did it for me. So when I travel back home next week, half my suitcase will be taken up by items from "the list".
Friends and family didn't have it too bad, my parents never allowed us to ask for more then two products. This was always a hard choice, and my brother and I would sit and plan which products we would ask for together, to get the most out of the opportunity. When my Dad went on bussiness to Holland however, it was a whole different story. There were no limits then, and "the list" would be produced. A list of items which we "needed". This included toiletries, clothing items, food, books, magazines, anything that was remotely Dutch. We got greedy at the opportunity to get our hands on Dutch things. This often resulted in my Dad having to buy a extra suitcase just to fit everything in to bring back. His coming home was always the best. We would sit around his suitcase and bask in the glory of Dutch products, and be giddy for days on end.
This wasn't only for Dutch products. When we moved to Vietnam, we started to miss Chinese food. I missed Pretz and Pocky snacks while my brother wanted to get his hands on some Hi-Chew candy. So whenever my Dad went to China for business (and this was quite often), he would bring this stuff back from us. It was a little piece of the past, and whenever we devoured our treats, it would always bring back memories.
The reason I'm writing a post on this is because I have been sent "the list". Me now being in Western civilization, I can get my hands on things that are not available in Vietnam. The list includes toiletries from Boots, books, and Easter chocolate. I'm glad to bring this stuff back for them, as I know how much I always enjoyed it when people did it for me. So when I travel back home next week, half my suitcase will be taken up by items from "the list".
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