We are spoiled in this country. We have more than most in other lands. Many in America have televisions, a portable phone, running water, lights, gas, a warm place to stay, etc. Try going outside of America and what might you find in the slums, the country, or on a land surrounded by water? Not as much as we have nor are the buildings as nice as ours. You might have some amenities from home in some places overseas, but most likely something will be amiss, and you will just have to tolerate doing without it. From a buzzing fly with no spray to kill it to a hole in the wall with nothing to fill it, that's life outside of your four walls with a bed and whatever else you appreciate the most in your room. Sure, it may not be a palace, but it's your home, "so be grateful," I was once told by former military officers.
So your bored right? Tired of looking at the same old stuff on the Internet. Why not check out some of those YouTube videos of foreigners? Then go off to some blog sites or forums where Americans as well as non-Americans post their personal experiences. Now that will be a mind and an eye-opener for many of you reading this, because chances are you haven't been out your neighborhood much lately. Wonder what someone is dealing with about your age, gender and ethnicity in say a place like Japan, Brazil, or Sweden? What sort of challenges are they dealing with in the Middle East outside of what you think you might know from slanted American media reports? What is dating, parenting, and business like outside of the United States for others around the world? Try getting some answers to these questions and more.
Shall we broaden our horizons? Utilize boring times to create your own lesson plan on learning--no matter what the age, social class, or location!
Nicholl McGuire
