The Things We Take For Granted

As citizens of the United States, we have a lot of daily advantages that are so ubiquitous as to be invisible to us.  Some are a result of our culture.  Many are paid for by those taxes we love to hate.  While I'm not a fan of giving my money to the government to spend, there are things that we all need that cannot be purchased individually.

This post is likely to get updated as we continue our journey, but here are a few just to get the ball rolling.

*Disclaimer - These factors vary from country to country.  Some countries do quite well with one or another of these concerns, but few are as comprehensive as home.

Water!

Every day we turn on our faucets to wash our hands or pour a nice cold cup of water.  Restaurants automatically serve water (with ice cubes) at every meal.  We do not have to haul jugs of water from the closest store or monitor the remaining water level to judge if there will be enough to get us through the day.  We do not have to purchase water in addition to our hamburgers, or opt for less healthy but cheaper choices like CocaCola or beer with every meal out.  

Unsafe water sources mean keeping your mouth firmly closed in the shower and rinsing your toothbrush from a bottle.  It means passing up crunchy green salads (even that slice of lettuce on your sandwich), delicious fruit smoothies, and any drink chilled with ice - unless you do it all at home with filtered water.  It means constantly being aware of how much water you have, how much you can carry, and whether you have enough “small money” to buy more if needed.  It also means a plethora of plastic bottles littering roadsides and increasing our impact on the environment.

Bathrooms!

Every toilet in the States allows you to flush away your toilet paper, whereas many other countries do not have the capacity to do so.  Instead, you place used TP in a little trash can at the side of the toilet.  That little trash can needs to be emptied frequently, especially in a hot country!  We also assume that a toilet will 1 - be physically present, 2 - be free, 3 - have a seat, 4 - have toilet paper, and 5 - have soap.  We have found it prudent to carry small coins in case we need to pay for the toilet, as well as soap and toilet paper since these are not guaranteed anywhere!

Streets...and Traffic Laws

I know there are some not-so-great streets in the United States.  They simply do not compare to the streets we have been on in other countries!  So far we have been on streets so narrow you can barely squeeze a car through, streets filled with pot-holes/llamas/dogs, and places where half the street fell off a cliff. One-way streets may not be marked, and may be considered optional even if they are marked. Stoplights, lane markings, speed limits may or may not exist, and may or may not be enforced, and sometimes traffic cops can be bribed with chocolate (according to our taxi driver). And we have decided that sidewalks are SUCH a bonus!

Social Safety Net

I know people have strong feelings on this topic.  Nobody wants to see their money wasted on ineffective programs, or given to people who don’t actually need it.  However, nobody I know wants to see people in desperate poverty.  Sadly, we have seen very frail elderly people trying to sell a handful of candy at a quarter a piece in the cold, dark streets of Cusco.  We have seen full families trying to escape Venezuela, living on the street with their toddlers and trying to build a new life.  Argentina is currently experiencing a poverty rate over 50% and is clawing its way back from a nearly 300% inflation rate. Many countries have no programs or resources to help the citizens who have lost jobs, lost homes, or need food.  

Food Safety

How lucky we are to buy meat from refrigerated cases in clean packaging.  The tables of stacked raw meat that have been sitting on the counter for hours meant we did not buy meat at the local markets…including from the litter pan of stacked, gutted, skinned cui sitting on the sidewalk in the sun.

Rabies Control and Animal Shelters

Since leaving Colorado, both boys have suffered from serious animal deprivation. While we still have Rabies within the United States, such a high percentage of pets are vaccinated (go vets!) that you are generally safe to pet any friendly dog or cat. Having to carefully evaluate each animal, country, and situation is basically killing the kids who want every dog and cat we see to be in their lap. And we are regularly followed by street dogs - occasionally unsettling but mostly happy, social, adorable dogs who act a little love-starved and adopt us for anywhere from a few blocks to an entire day. Sometimes they sit outside the restaurant or grocery store and wait for us to re-emerge. We call them Day Dogs and hand out as many ear scratches or belly rubs as appears to be safe. How lucky are our coddled pets in the US!