Backpacking Trip 2010

About three weeks ago, Katie and I came up with this little list of things that we realized we took for granted back in the States. It took about 2 minutes to compile, but we have added a few things since then. I thought I would share them with you all.

So, here goes:  hot water, drinkable water, clean clothes, doing laundry, working toilets, flushing toilet paper down the toilet, food availability and accessibility, food preferences easily met, convenience of stores and their locations, phones (cell phones, land lines, pay phones that you can understand how to use), computer access, book stores, libraries, kitchens, Starbucks, access to favorite foods/drinks/restaurants, communication (no language barrier), driving myself around, night life, tampons (rows and rows of pads, but hardly ever even a tiny section for tampons), prices of toilettries and cosmetic prices (shampoo, razors, you name it, are virtually at least a dollar or higher more expensive), grocery prices (some things are cheaper, like a lot of fruits and veggies, but the majority of other things is WAY more expensive), quality and freshness of food, easy access to money/banks, gyms, privacy, music choices, the mail (yeah, won´t get too into it, but no mail service; really, NO mail service), online shopping, shipping, clean air, visiting local attractions (being in the States, no matter where in the States, you can find something cool and historical and all that jazz where you are), traveling and exploring within our own city, state and country, safety, affordability of books (when we do find a book store, the books are super expensive; we´re told they are so expensive because people don´t buy books because they don´t read, but I don´t know…), plan B, karaoke, source of income (yeah, having a source of income is nice!), taking advantage of discounts and deals, salad dressing (oil and vinegar only for salads), good cheese, cream, draft beer (cans or bottles here, that´s it), lack of unwanted attention, movies, movie theaters, towels, clean towels, recycling, composting, walking, air conditioning, state of mind, freedom, being born physically healthy, healthy mind and healthy body, breathing, life.

We will probably add more to the list as time goes by (we have been, up to this point). But, yes, these are things we TOOK FOR GRANTED in the States. So, if the items on this list surprise you, think about it! I would kill for a hot shower! It´s only been….a month?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 7th, 2010 at 5:54 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.