Jersey City to the West Midlands

This summer will make two years since my family and I moved here to the UK. My wife is from here originally, lived with me in the States for 10 years. I still find myself adjusting to UK life. My wife and two sons are very adjusted and happy. I struggle a bit especially missing family and friends back home. Play softball in Manchester and that helps with the homesickness, but really missing the basketball courts of Jersey City.....Food is better here than I thought it would be but truly missing my Spanish food and Dunkin Donuts...

Welcome, mikeoverthepond!  I think the adjustment will get better with time.  I felt that I really hit my stride here about 3-4 years in actually.

I know it isn't Dunkin Donuts (I prefer them too) but I hear tell of some places to get Krispy Kreme donuts here & there in the UK.

Also, do you mean Spanish food, or like Tex-Mex food?  My husband & I have traveled to Spain quite a bit & he makes a mean plate of Spanish food, from ingredients that are quite readily sourced here.  Also there are tapas restaurants, etc.

Tex-Mex, on the other hand, is my speciality and takes a little more research to source ingredients or substitutions, but it can be done!

Welcome again & all the best! 

Welcome to UKY!

Thanks for the welcomes....I have had Krispy Kreme very good missing the actual coffee from D & D...I am of Puerto Rican decent....been to a Tapas place in Birmingham....was pretty good...Love cooking spanish food struggle with the ingredients....Enjoy the weather everyone...

Welcome to UKY, mikeoverthepond!  

The adjustment can take time and it's OK to have ups and downs. I hope you can find activities / interests to look forward to enjoy your time here and make new friends.

On the food front, as Mrs R says, it is possible to substitute and make your own versions of Tex Mex and the like.

On the doughnut front, there's the SPAR at Manchester Airport which sell Tim Hortons, a Canadian doughnut company more like Dunkin' Donuts. There may be Tim Hortons at other SPARs in Manchester.

http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/manweb.nsf/All+Content/RETAILERSpar  

Hello and welcome!  About the ingredients, I would imagine that in Manchester there might be speciality shops where you could find more of the ingredients you are looking for.  It might do to see if you can find a Spanish expat community who would know where these things are.  I'm sorry you are homesick, but please do feel that this is a place to have your moan.  In fact,  we have a whole board called homesickness and hard times just for that very purpose!  Hope you're having fantastic weather there today!

I don't know if it was Las Iguanas in Birmingham you went to (there are a few tapas places I recall) but they have a variety of latin foods and have two locations in Manchester

http://www.lasiguanas.co.uk/

It was las Iguanas....there is one in Manchester as well...Will look at the Homesickness post...Everyone has been so nice to us since we have been here, but not having anyone here I can just say lets go grab a beer or shoot some hoops is so frustrating....All the friends I have here are my wife friends hubbies it not the same as a brother or someone you have known 30 years...Time will help I hope....

La Tasca is a nice Tapas place. I've been to the one in Nottingham & Derby and they were both pretty good.

La Tasca is a nice Tapas place. I've been to the one in Nottingham & Derby and they were both pretty good.

I second La Tasca... love it there . I like to go there when the 'Tapas for a Tenner' offer is on (not sure if they still do it though... it's not mentioned on the website) - you can order as many dishes as you like (from a specified selection) for just £10.

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to UKY!

I'll be moving to Manchester in Sept for school. I'll be sure to look those resturants up when i get there.

Where do you play softball at? That sounds like fun.

There is a nice league in Manchester....I play Wednesdays night when I  can, bit of a trek for me so I dont go every week....Very well organized....

welcome, we are new to site too.
My husband is puerto rican, but its not that bad, i stil cook puerto rican food,because i have my sazon goya sent to me,i got same ingrediants.

Its nice to be on here when your new to a country. My husband is nervouse as were are stil going through immigration with a few set backs.

Nice to see im not the only person new