Just a Spoiled North American

Coming back from a month abroad can have several effects on me.  Sometimes I return aware that I miss being abroad and I am disappointed by how fast the time went by.  Sometimes I feel so blessed by the amenities we have here.  This time, though, I came back so very conscious of how spoiled I really am.  There are so many things that I have come to expect after living a life of relative comfort here in the United States.  Being abroad this time was a reminder to me that the rest of the world often has relatively few of the things that I think are normal.


As a North American, I often do not even think about what great blessings these things are.    

• Safe drinking water flowing out of the tap.  We purchased bottled water the whole time we were gone.  Even though many of the places had safe water, we knew there were places where the safest thing for us was to buy bottled water.
• Water that flows into our home 24-hours a day instead of having just a half hour to fill your buckets so that you have water for the rest of the day. Although this was the case in only one location in Peru, it was a reminder to me that this is a reality for many people in the world.
• Hot water in the shower.  On a hot day, I do not mind a cold shower or even a cold bucket bath; but on colder days, I really appreciate the reliability of hot water flowing from the shower head.
• A washing machine that does a good job of getting my clothes clean rather than having to wash them by hand on the rocks.
• A dryer that quickly dries our clothes, even the towels and jeans, on rainy days and adds softness to them.  We do not have to wait days for things to dry on rainy days.
• A car rather than having to rely on public transportation.  I appreciate the lower prices of public transportation, however.
• Public transportation that runs on a schedule instead of "when the seats are full."  A trip that could happen in two hours might take all day since you never know when departure will happen.
• Refrigerators that allow you to purchase more than a one or two-day supply of fresh food at a time.  Daily trips to market allow for fresh food, but they certainly take time.
• Ice in our drinks.  We would have avoided asking for ice anyway, but it is nice to be able to put ice in my beverage if I want some.
• All-day electricity.  In the jungle town, we had electricity from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.  We charged our cell phones and computers during this time.  During the hottest part of the day, however, there was no availability for anything that might cool you, not even an electric fan.



Charlie enjoying a frozen Passion Fruit drink on our last day.

• Fresh vegetables that can be eaten raw without pre-soaking in anti-bacterial vegetable wash.  I came back craving salads.  Fresh fruit, on the other hand, was something we had in abundance.  Now I find I miss the variety of fresh fruit juices that were available there.
• Screens on our windows and doors.  I walked into our hotel room, and one of the first things I noticed was the screens.  How grateful I was for them as we saw that most of the homes did not have them.
• A variety in our breakfasts.  This may have been the first time in my life when I said that I had enough white rice for a while. Every morning we had the same thing - white rice, white beans, plantain, and eggs.  It was tasty and I was grateful for it, but it is nice to have some variety.
  
• Covers on my bed.  It was warm enough in the jungle that we did not need covers, but I missed having a top sheet.  Yet I was grateful for what we had.  I am not sure how well I would have fared in a hammock instead.
• Septic systems that allow you to flush your toilet paper and the availability of toilet paper in public rest rooms.

There are other things I could likely mention, but that is enough for now.  I am willing and ready to give up any of those things for a short time.  I could also learn to live without them, but I find it is not as easy as it used to be.  I really have become a spoiled North American.  Maybe it's time to shed some of these comforts and learn to appreciatethe advantages of living without them.

Two Perspectives on Travel

After the sunset faded from the sky and darkness descended, I sat in the passenger seat wondering how much longer it would be before we stopped for the night.  Ten hours had passed since we started driving that morning, and it was still several hours before bedtime.  We talked, listened to the radio and I dozed a little.  I was bored.  There was not much to do except watch the cars pass us on the highway as mile after mile of darkness passed.  

It was my first experience of realizing that Charlie’s goal is to get to our destination.  He does not really enjoy himself until we get there.  Then he is ready to enter full vacation mode, or whatever else is the purpose of the trip.  His motto for travel is “Conquer the trip!”  It is not that he does not appreciate seeing the flowers as we fly by them on the highway.  He just does not want to stop long enough to smell them.

“Enjoy the journey!” is my motto.  Every day is an adventure, whether at home, on the road, or in another country.  So I enjoy making plans to stop along the way and see the sights that we would otherwise pass.  So yes, let’s stop and take pictures of scenic vistas, smell the honeysuckle, and run across the sand to dip my feet in the ocean.  I enjoy seeing what the day will hold, especially when the routine of being at home is gone.  

Over the years, Charlie has made many concessions to my desire to stop and enjoy the scenery, stretch my legs, or stop at historic places.  I am more willing to go the distance of putting in 15-hour days in order to please him.

Air travel is different.  Once we buy our tickets, we have very little control over what happens.  However, our perspectives still emerge.

Long layovers in airports?  I use the time to watch the parade of people as they cross paths briefly in a location where they do not plan to stay.  I wonder who they are and where they are headed.  I write or read books and enjoy the layover.  Sometimes I strike up a conversation with strangers, especially if they have children or if they look like they would appreciate a chat.  Charlie uses the time well too, but it is grueling for him.  He just wants to get there.

Delayed planes and missed connections?  For me, it’s part of the adventure.  After all, we never would have stayed overnight in an expensive hotel in Japan if there had not been a problem on our return from India. While Charlie appreciated that particular perk, he generally sees these as disruptions to the goal of arriving at our destination on time.  “Conquer the trip!” is still his motto.

It is, perhaps, one of the reasons God put us together.  I need more of his goal-oriented punctuality.  He needs more of my enjoyment of life.  Together we get a little bit of both perspectives.