Sometimes you just don't appreciate what you have until you don't. I learned a lot about how infrastructure affects an area, and how the ordinary to these people seemed extraordinary to me. Didn't even realize I took so much for granted until I traveled through Vietnam and Myanmar for three weeks. New England's pot holes and bad Asian drivers in LA seem trivial after all the driving we saw and all the buses we rode. As sketchy as it seemed, street food vendors were quite clean, and no one got sick. Lots of half-finished buildings as folks would pour concrete while they had the money (particularly in Vietnam, where the concept of having a long-term plan was beyond them). Although the Vietnam-American war had been over for many years, the Vietnamese have not quite gotten past its horrors. Myanmar suffered under the hands of the British and later, the Japanese. Both countries have people who have been through so much, and yet they were quite friendly (I would say even friendlier to white people than the Asian tourists). I now truly appreciate that I grew up in America, not in war-ravaged third world countries.
Here are some of the things I appreciate a lot more:
Here are some of the things I appreciate a lot more:
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