Home: Things I’m Grateful For
Back home in the good old USA
Although I love my travel life, and the many varied experiences that are a daily part of my life, I am always happy to come home not only family and friends, but back to a place that is just “easy” to be in. I don’t have to worry about how I’m going get somewhere, where I’m going to buy food or how to deal with language barriers.
Gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring challenges in the United States. Issues such as healthcare costs, housing affordability, poverty, and political division are real concerns. However, comparing everyday life to the conditions faced by millions of people in poorer nations can provide perspective on many advantages that Americans often take for granted.
A useful way to think about it is: many people around the world would consider access to clean water, reliable electricity, quality healthcare, educational opportunities, personal freedoms, and economic opportunity to be life-changing advantages.
To that end, I thought it might be interesting to list those things that I’m most grateful for, other than just being an American and appreciating the opportunity to connect with the people that I love.
Keep in mind that the majority of these are issues found in the 3rd world countries that I’ve visited in the past couple of years. Most do not apply to the European countries I’ve visited so far.
Day-to-day living
Water that is drinkable. We take it for granted that we turn on the taps and have drinkable water. That is not the case in a lot of places. Having to purchase drinking water is necessary, but it is extremely inconvenient and must be planned so that you don’t run out. Not having water for coffee in the morning would not be a good thing!
Hot water on demand. Hot water for showers, washing dishes, and laundry is not always available. Even if it is, it’s usually just for the shower. And if there is hot water, there if often little water pressure.
The apartment I rented at San Miguel de Allende was very modern and lovely. It had 3 bathrooms, and I had to rotate between bathrooms to use the toilet because the water pressure was so low that it would sometimes take hours to refill. I would oftentimes fill the tank with water just so that I didn’t have to hear the dang toilet run for hours on end.
Public toilets. There are a lot of public toilets that you have to pay to use. I always traveled with some coins in my pocket in case I need to use one. And, I always carried toilet paper because more often than not, it was not available in public places. And, of course, not being able to flush toilet paper takes a bit of getting used to.
At a train station, in France, I watched a man follow a woman into a pay toilet, assuming because he did not have the necessary change to use the men’s toilet. At least, I hope that was why…
All this to say that you only hope there is an actual commode in the toilet, not just a hole in the ground that you have to squat over. Uggg.
Air conditioning and heating that make homes comfortable year-round. In the warmer climates, particularly in really old homes, there is no central heating which is fine during the warmer months but when it gets colder, you have to rely on space heaters. And carpet is not a “thing.” Floors are cold.
Safe food storage and food safety standards that reduce the risk of food-borne illness. This was particularly problematic in certain areas of Mexico. Open air food markets appeared to just sell fruit and vegetables until it was actually smelly and rotten. Meat was laid out on the counter with no refrigeration and someone waving a fan over it to try and keep the flies off.
You also have to wash the vegetables and fruits with a disinfectant before eating or you will be spending a day close to the toilet….
Restaurant menus that you can understand. Even using Google Translate, it often very difficult to figure out what’s on a menu. A great deal of the words are only available in that particular language, and looking up the meaning of each word of a menu could take forever, and require more patience that I’ve got.
Even if you do understand what the ingredients are….you are will often be unprepared for for what you get when it arrives.
Public sanitation systems. Some places appear to have limited resources when it comes to letting garbage pile up on the sidewalks, gutters and streets. Also, having convenient access to public garbage cans, can oftentimes be an issue.
Sewer smells are common, even in the nicer areas of town. Some of these places are really, really old and the piping and sewers have not been updated for many years.
Reliable package delivery directly to your home. In France, Amazon would not leave a package at your door. They would either leave it with a neighbor or take it to the post office and leave it there. The only problem was that you wouldn’t know until you got a notice that it was delivered…and then had to try and track it down.
Familiarity with currency. It’s tough to have to continually try to figure out the exchange rate or even understand what something costs. Someone telling you in another language is not always easy to understand. Sometimes, I would just have to rely on a vendor’s honesty because I couldn’t understand the amount that I needed to pay. I would just open up my hand, filled with coins, and have them pick out the correct amount.
You also have to be prepared to pay cash for things. I had to take a LOT of pesos to Mexico to pay for my rent.
Widespread data and cell phone coverage and dependable communication networks. Most of the time this was not an issue, but I also use a back-up eSim on my phone that will kick in when phone & data coverage becomes a problem in a particular area.
Laundry facilities in homes. It’s not that uncommon to have a washing machine, but a dryer is rarely available. Everything gets hung out to dry. This is something you get used to, but is something you have to keep in mind. You have to wash them in enough time for them to dry on the line before you need them again.
Access to familiar brands. You can almost always find a brand that you are familiar with, but buying American products will cost about 3 times as much as local products. And, the majority of the time, I liked the local product as well as the American counterpart.
Speaking the language. Thank goodness for Google Translate, but there were some things that I just didn’t do because I did not want to hassle with trying to communicate with someone not speaking English.
Availability of Ice. Ice is not really a “thing” in most other countries. I always had to buy ice trays to use in any apartment, or buy it at the store and bring it home. And, when the temperature is in the 90’s for days on end….ice is important.
Transportation. This one is a double-edged sword. Although I love the convenience and flexibility of just jumping in my car to go wherever I want or get whatever I need, I do love living in a place where I don’t need a car, where everything I need is within walking distance. And, if I need to go further out, there are extensive bus and trains systems.
Thank goodness I drive a Prius, or I might be doing more walking now that I’m back. Huge sticker shock on gas and everything else. Sorry, haven’t found a reason yet to be grateful for that except that at least I can buy it, unlike the 70’s gas shortage.
Reliable infrastructure. This covers a variety of things.
- Elevators and escalators are not reliable, and there is often no alternative but to take a long flight of stairs.
- Sidewalks are in poor shape. They are very often blocked by a tree, a car, a motorbike, a pole or utility box. You have to keep a close eye on where you step. Walking in the street is pretty much necessary at times.
- There is very, very limited access for the handicapped. I’m guessing that’s why you rarely see anyone in a wheelchair or walker. I once saw a sign that said there was handicapped access, but it had an 18 inch step that the disabled would have to navigate to get to there.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”
— Epictetus
