My mother left South Africa and came to Australia. When I ask her what she misses from there she says nothing. Although she can speak Afrikaans I have never heard her utter a word of it.
Actually just once I heard her say, Voertsek.
They left behind sadness, so I think it is easier to turn away from it all. It is great that you hold onto those parts of yourself and teach them to your children.
Bringing culture with you is a treasure to your adopted country. It adds to it's diversity and substance.
I am learning about the personal, lived experience of South Africa from Steemians, it has broadened my perception of the country. It is not the place she describes leaving in the '70s.