There is nothing like traveling to another country to help you appreciate what you have back at home. It’s also easy here in the U.S. to take so much of what we have, and routinely do, for granted. So even though I told you I was done with writing about our recent trip, here is what I immediately learned to appreciate the minute we crossed the border. Of course it is only SMART to remember these each and every day.
So what did I learn to not take for granted?
- First and foremost I appreciate WATER! We take for granted that we can take a shower or brush our teeth and swallow the water that might be in our mouth. Of course that assumes you have reliable, indoor plumbing. That isn’t always the case in Mexico or other parts of the world. Drinking water out of the tap anytime, any place, is a luxury that should never be taken for granted. Wasting water for any reason seems frivolous, insensitive and not SMART.
- Having a home to come home to. While we are fortunate to have the resources to stay in reasonably nice places while traveling, many of us in the U.S. routinely take for granted that we have a place that we can call our own. We observed many extremely modest dwellings during our trip that reminded me of the many luxuries that we have (like drinking water in the home, air conditioning, wifi and TV, and paved roads, etc.) that many around the world don’t. Sometimes getting away from them is the best way to appreciate them.
- Being able to find work or income right where we live. Throughout our travels we met people who told us that they “used” to live in the U.S. While it wasn’t clearly expressed, the obvious reason was they had traveled to the U.S. to make money for themselves and their families because there was no work where they lived. In every case these people returned after a number of years because by traveling to the U.S. they usually don’t get to see their families during that time. Finally, after saving up what they can, they ALL return home because that is where they really want to be. Those of us in the U.S. take for granted that we can usually find work where we live or we can easily move elsewhere where there is more work (either permanently or temporarily). This is not the case in many other parts of the world.
- Breathing air that is reasonably clean. Because it was the “rainy” season in Mexico the air quality was reasonably good wherever we went. But it is obvious that this country does not have the controls or regulations to keep this in check. While we might protest the governmental controls over such things in the U.S., they do make a tremendous difference that we usually take for granted. If you want to see a city full of old, unregulated, black-gas-fumed spewing vehicles, then go to Mexico. Unfortunately, industry also contributes without regulation.
- Understanding the language that is spoken and written around us. We U.S. citizens take for granted that the vast majority of us speak the same language and have the education to read. That is not always true around the world. In Oaxaca alone they have 16 different indigenousness languages. Being able to understand conversations around us and read signs and menus is very advantageous.
- Bathrooms are easy to find. Okay, so maybe it is my age or my gender but it’s REALLY nice to be able to find a decent bathroom when needed. With a Starbucks on nearly every corner here in the U.S. with a good bathroom, there is never too much cause for concern.
- The many advantages and possibilities we have in our country. If you pay attention while traveling to some countries it becomes increasingly obvious that we have so many benefits that we usually take for granted. Of course there is the obvious like roads and other infrastructure, as well as water, sewer, electricity, cable TV, Internet and much more. But having a system of government that is fairly consistent and one that offers most citizens protection and freedoms should never be taken for granted. If anything, travel to another country should offer us all contrast about the many advantages we have AND those that we should never consider routine.
Things I REALLY miss about Mexico (already!):
- The friendly and kind people I met everywhere in Mexico.
- The fantastic and interesting food that we experienced during our trip.
- Someone to make coffee and fix me a healthy balanced breakfast every single day.
- Having people make my bed and clean up my room every day.
- Learning about new people and cultures with an incredibly rich history.
- Seeing interesting and awe-inspiring sites on a daily basis.
- Putting personal and family happiness before being busy or successful. I have heard others where I live in Southern California be critical of the Latino culture for not being more aggressive and driven. What I witnessed on more than one occasion in Mexico was the strong desire to put family, friends and relationships first and foremost. Having a happy and content life is primary to many Mexicans and it is a pleasure to witness that instead of people who are stressed, too busy and constantly putting themselves first. I miss that!
I’ve written before about the many incredible advantages that travel offers, and find it helpful to remember those benefits on a regular basis. But travel also reminds us that most of us have relatively good lives filled with opportunity and possibility. Remembering that as frequently as possible is always a SMART way to live.
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In case you missed any of the SMART Travel Tips From our trip to Mexico–here are all four posts:
Travels With Thom & Kathy; An Introduction
Mexico City–Travels With Thom & Kathy Part 2
Flowing With Unexpected Surprises—Travels With Thom & Kathy #3
Oaxaca and Final Thoughts—Travels With Thom & Kathy Part 4
My wife is very keen to visit Mexico. Personally I would be keen to not have a resort based holiday and actually discover some of the country while we were there.
Sometimes when heading to foreign countries it can be easy to come away and not really discover the true culture, people and have the full experience. In truth if you are going to just sit by the pool you can do that anywhere.
I have done a bit of traveling myself and your observations are true of many non industrialized (and even some industrialized) countries. Good article and great reminder not to take our blessings for granted.
Hi Lydia! Glad you liked this post too. I do write about similar topics on a regular basis because I really, really need to hear some of these messages over and over again. Traveling anywhere always reminds me of how great a life I have and how I have been blessed. ~Kathy
I agree Kathy, we take for granted so much that it is easy to forget and a trip like yours quickly reminds us. Often after a trip I think of my bedroom and how spacious it is compared to small tiny bedrooms while traveling. Don’t get me started on pit toilets in restaurants, I am spoiled completely when it comes to rest rooms.
Hi Rahil! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts on travel. And yes, when we travel we usually never even think of the size of our dwelling because we are having a such a good time in spite of it. That was actually something that convinced Thom and I to “rightsize” our home. We had been traveling and renting smaller places for long enough that we realized that we simply didn’t need a big place or all that “STUFF” that goes with a bigger place. And yeah, having water and a good toilet are pretty important where ever I am too–but they don’t have to be in a HUGE bathroom bigger than some people’s houses! Thanks again for your comment. ~Kathy
My Wife and I got married in Mexico and stayed on for 4 weeks after. I found it a beautiful country and people in even more so. But I get what your saying also, when you return you stop taking so much for granted when we see some of basics they don’t have.
Hi John! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your experience with Mexico. I so agree that it is a beautiful country with beautiful people. And yes, if it helps us remember not to take what we have here in the U.S. for granted, so much the better. Thanks again for your thoughts. ~Kathy
Nice post! You are so right. It’s easy to take everything for granted, but it’s a gift to know how to survive and manage with just a few supplies.
Hi Jess and Brandon! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts. I definitely agree that learning to survive and “pack light” with what only is necessary is very valuable! ~Kathy
I spent the summer between sophomore and junior year in high school living in an anthrolopogist’s house in Oaxaca with 13 other girls. The next summer I spent 3 weeks in Guanaujato (sic) and the next five traveling.
It changed me–made me into the person I became. Before going to Oaxaca included Michael Harrington’s The Other America and many other books.
I was a spoiled girl from Long Island with a good heart before I went to Oaxaca. I had always been passionate about societal conditions and politics–that’s why my parents sent me. But Oaxaca made me incredibly cognizant of the privileges I had as an American. So so much more.
I wrote letters home that my mother read to everyone she came across–actually people would ask for her to read the letters. Unfortunately when I found the letters years later I couldn’t understand my handwriting and my mother was blind–I had been planning on going back, writing letters or let me get real emails and then comparing the old with the new for a book.
I still remember the smells, the sights, the people as if it were yesterday.
It made me so appreciative of my choice of parents as this wasn’t a common thing to do in 1966. My father was the only father who wasn’t a household name
I do believe water is going to be the greatest problem for generations to come–I am very scared.
Hi Pia! What a fortunate young woman you were to have gone to Oaxaca at such a young age. I’ll bet the city was even more interesting back then. Yes, there is so much about the area that is very, very special and a huge part of it is connecting with another culture that is so very different from our own but so uniquely attractive. We had been wanting to go for years and am so glad we finally made the trip. And while we live in challenging times for sure, I am encouraged by the sweet spirit of some people like those we met in Oaxaca. ~Kathy
Yes Kathy! Now you see why I wish every American could spend time in less fortunate parts of the world… Imagine the level of appreciate and gratitude we would all share then!
Hi Laura Lee! YES! My husband and I have often thought that it would be great if young people were encouraged more to join a sort of peace corps instead of the military when they are young. If that happened and they were sent to other countries to promote peace, can you imagine the good will that would come of that. AND meanwhile our youths could see everything that so many of us routinely take for granted. ~Kathy
Nice post, and I agree with all except maybe #3, since a lot of people I know don’t find work where they live, but end up moving halfway across the country — latest from our crowd is Buffalo, Charleston, Texas — to find a decent job and a home they can afford. And while I’m at it, may I send a shout out to all those who own and manage bathrooms open to the public … clean ’em up every once in a while!
Hi Tom! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and sharing your thoughts on this. Yes, I agree that we might not find work close by and have to move and that can be a hardship for some. But here in the U.S. we are still in the same country and able to enjoy the benefits of traveling back and forth easily. Plus, I believe a lot of Mexicans come to the U.S. temporarily to save up the money just to be able to build a home in their homeland. Some spend several years here, saving and sending the money home to their family, just so they can buy a little place and build it. When that’s done they return home. There are no loans to get at home even if they could work at a job to pay it off. It’s definitely a VERY different experience than what the vast majority of U.S. Citizens ever have to endure. I NEVER want to take that for granted!
But, YES! to keeping bathrooms clean. That’s why I’m such a big fan of Starbucks. 90% of the time they are GREAT! ~Kathy
Finding bathrooms becomes more and more important as we age, I agree! And we definitely do not have to worry about ever having trouble finding one. Not so in other places!
All of those things that you listed made me remember this video, which is just a CLASSIC! http://www.wimp.com/worldfirst/
Hi Laura! YES! That video is such a GREAT reminder for how we take water for granted. Thank you for sharing it! (here it is again–please watch! http://www.wimp.com/worldfirst/ ) And yes, even complaining about bathrooms is a first world problem for sure. Thanks for your reminders. ~Kathy
Too often people don’t see or appreciate all that they have in this world they live in. Just the simple things you list, are things people in other countries would love to have.. One thing you might not have thought of is civil unrest or enduring war within your country; we don’t have bombs dropping or ethic cleansing.
Your lists of appreciation of wonderful and I think more people should spend time each day appreciating the simple things.
Hi Bodynsoil! Thanks for your thoughts on this. And yes, you are absolutely correct that I didn’t mention civil unrest or enduring war of any consequence at the present time. While their tend to be things within my own country that I disagree with and wish would change, at the present time I’m not locked up for speaking out against them. I am VERY grateful for that. I truly believe that most of us have so much every single day that we can be grateful for if we just take the time to look and remember. ~Kathy
I love your travel blog posts and appreciate all of the information you provide. It’s wonderful to have you write such posts and for that I am grateful.
Hi Cathy! Thank you so much for your kind words. I love your blog too! Gratitude is so very important because the more we give, the more we have to give. Let’s never take that for granted! ~Kathy
You have made me remember the wonder of it all when my husband and I began traveling nearly 18 years ago. I don’t really believe that we are even the same people we were then. The lack of understanding about people, their culture and their environment was a huge void in our learning.
I would only add one item: How Little it Takes to Be Happy. No matter where we have been we have always found that it wasn’t the material possessions that make people happy. I have often felt almost ashamed at how much we think we need. Simplicity has it’s own beauty and joy.
Good post.
b+
Hi B+ ! Thanks for stopping by SMART Living and leaving your comment 🙂 I appreciate you taking the time to really “comment” AND share your own background on travel. I so-o-o agree with your point of “How little it takes to be happy.” So many of us constantly say that is our goal but we expect big, huge answers and complicated actions to be the answer instead of the very simple choices that make up moment by moment. Yes to a more simple and natural approach to beauty and joy. ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
I agree with you indeed 🙂
Traveling to such places makes you appreciate and value your own place so much more for all the things you are fortunate to have. I can well understand that having traveled to the rural areas, where some of our extended family lives.
Water IS scarce our end too, and where we live, we get fresh water just once in two days, so we know the art of preserving it and valuing it too. Thank Goodness for the electricity, because that too is a major issue and we have major power cuts in the larger metros in our country. None of these might be issues in the US, but they certainly are here, a few of the many.
When we travel to such places, besides learning their culture and way of living, we become more humane, humble, and down to Earth, don’t we? I guess we forget our comforts way back home and see all the problems such people have to live through, day in and day out – yet they hardly have any cribs.
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena! Thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this from the other side of the planet. I think all of us, no matter where we live, tend to take the good in our lives for granted. And so it is SMART for all of us to get out and around our country and the world around us to see how others live and get by as well. I so agree that we become (hopefully!) more humble and humane after connecting with others everywhere. And while some of the issues here in the U.S. might differ slightly from other countries–there is still struggle and challenges among those less fortunate EVERYWHERE. Remembering to be grateful for what we do have and help others when we can is so very important. Thank you for your insight on this as always. ~Kathy
I can certainly identify with all these points. I recently returned from a six month trip around Australia and it made me see my surroundings, home, family and life in a whole new light. We do take for granted small things like having plenty of fresh uncontaminated water.
Hi Kathy! Isn’t that just the best? Thom and I always say, “It’s good to go and good to come home.” We love to travel but we also love our home so it is a win/win for sure. Plus, when you bring what you’ve learned and observed it is even better.
And YES to appreciating our water every single day! ~Kathy
” I have heard others where I live in Southern California be critical of the Latino culture for not being more aggressive and driven. What I witnessed on more than one occasion in Mexico was the strong desire to put family, friends and relationships first and foremost. ”
That is the same experience I’ve had, working with my students and their families. I think there is a lot for us to learn, from our neighbors to the south. 🙂
Hi Bethany! YES! The Mexican culture has much to teach us yet much of the time we aren’t paying attention because their approach is so different from ours. I’ve certainly learned a lot. ~Kathy
I agree Kathy, we take for granted so much that it is easy to forget and a trip like yours quickly reminds us. Often after a trip I think of my bedroom and how spacious it is compared to small tiny bedrooms while traveling. Don’t get me started on pit toilets in restaurants, I am spoiled completely when it comes to rest rooms.
Hi Haralee! Yes, I always feel that my smaller house is so BIG, especially after travel to Europe where the rooms are VERY small. And closet space–for-get-about-it! I know some women who live in my area that have closets bigger than my entire bedroom. And of course all that space DEMANDS to be filled with stuff!
Oh fortunately I never encountered the “pit” bathroom in Mexico. The majority when available were maintained by sweet little, Mexican Indian women charging 3 pesos. It is definitely worth 3 pesos for a cleaner bathroom and a little swatch of toilet paper–although I did learn to carry my own too. We ARE spoiled about rest rooms! ~Kathy
Hi Kathy,
I agree with you on both the points you are making. Travelling to different places always has SO much to offer and makes us realise how blessed we are with the basic requirements, which may not be available to all the people around us, though living at the same planet!
I have travelled to many places and especially the rural pockets of India, which lay bare so many things that we take for granted…the water, the food and a comfortable home!
Besides learning about new cultures and enjoying the exotic locations, there is much more to travel, which can only be experienced when we spend time with people. I am glad to hear that your trip was so fulfilling. Thanks for sharing all the details.
Hi Balroop! Nice to hear from you. I made an effort to recognize that many of us in the U.S. take such things for granted, but I couldn’t say (because I don’t live elsewhere) that about many of the other countries where readers live. Thank you for confirming that most of us who read blogs are much the same around the world in that we tend to have many advantages that not everyone in our country has. And I don’t know about you but I can’t be reminded of that enough. Of course so many scientific studies are now proving that those of us who practice GRATITUDE on a regular basis are happier than the average. So that ought to be reason enough that we continue to count our blessing and NEVER take our good for granted. Thank you again for your thoughts. ~Kathy
You have captured why international travel is so important. It expands our vision and (hopefully) helps us appreciate other people and their cultures. It can also help us appreciate what we have at home. We can also take parts of what we’ve experienced in other cultures and assimilate them into our daily lives.
Hi Janis! So glad you agree that I’ve pointed out something important. Thom and I have always said that we think international travel should be a “requirement” for young people in our country. (I can’t say that for sure for everywhere but I CAN say it for the U.S.) We have such a big country that it is VERY easy for our citizens to get very myopic about the world. Travel opens our eyes and our hearts in ways that nothing else can. And YES–hopefully we take that home and assimilate it into our daily lives–365! ~Kathy
Isn’t it lovely when a vacation can provide so much learning and beauty while you’re away AND continue to provide learning after you return home? Nicely done!
Hi Nancy! I suppose I’m a bit obsessive about the “learning” approach to life but I find it so very helpful and a GREAT way to focus on the experience in front of me. This topic was on my mind all week even though I was busy playing catch up with everything else in my life so I figure that it was what I needed to write about. And you? What GREAT learning did you discover this week? I’ll bet I can read about it on your blog! ~Kathy