Yeah, the toothpaste thing I just do not understand either, thought Colgate had the monopoly here
close up cinnamon..... haven't been able to find it here. i can't stomach the minty toothpastes... so close up it is...
I usually stock up on gum "Trident", Twix, Snickers, toothpaste Colgate Oxy Peroxide, soap Irish Spring, baking and cooking supplies that are way over priced in HK or unobtainable unless you sell an organ.
If I could smuggle in 100kilos of Porterhouse Steaks, I would.
Yuck - non-minty flavoured toothpaste? I can't even imagine that! I totally associate the whole 'clean mouth' feeling with a minty taste. I guess the toothpastes here are UK-derived; I have no problem at all with them (nor with most of the shampoo etc). The only item of a 'toiletry' nature that I import in bulk are Reach flossers, which I've never found here. I credit them with saving my remaining teeth, having never managed to figure out how to floss with the reels of stuff!
Yeah, I can only do minty. Mini-S hates mint so has this revolting bubblegum flavour - I picked it up by mistake when we were away and nearly vomited!
Lucky for me, I buy my Indian made herbal toothpaste from local nepalese store. For shampoo/soap etc, I am happy with local wellcome.
I understand your feeling. I moved from the US last August and I still cannot totally get used to the life here. From my experience, if you can find a job, that definitely will help you. However, it is still very hard to make friends with local people, even though they speak English. They just cannot understand the US culture.
If you'd like, you can try to attend some courses. Or another way is holding party and inviting whoever you chat online but never meet before. After one or two times, you can know more people. Hope this can help you.
@Ramdom, go to any Indian/Nepalese grocery store and you'll find it. But, I must warn you, toothpaste like Dabur RED could be a bit strong in herbal flavors and if you are not used to that kind you might hate me ...
But, otherwise I swear by it's goodness