I recently had the pleasure to venture out of the little bubble I live in. Why, you ask? Because I complain everyday about how boring my town is, how there is never anything to do and how I want to be adventurous and live my life. So I stopped complaining and I did something about it. I booked a flight to Italy and was off to a foreign country, filled with new ideals, new people, new languages and most importantly, new foods. However, the picture I had painted in my mind didn't seem to quite match up with the picture in front of me. Sure, we see the glamorous photos of supermodels walking down the streets of Rome, shopping bags in hand, licking a gelato, all content. Unfortunately, life is not all sunshine and gelato. I soon learned that traveling out of the U.S. is most certainly a venture out of your comfort zone.
I am not writing this with the intent to insult another country. My family roots are in Italy. However, after this recent trip I have come to realize just how unappreciative I am of the amazing land I live in.
Here are five silly little things (that we all probably have taken for granted at one time or another) that explain why living in the U.S. is just so darn amazing.
1. Toilet. Seats.
I was shocked by this one. A lot of the places I went to didn't utilize toilet seats. Being a girl in Italy ain't that glamorous when it comes time for the bathroom. You are not always guaranteed a toilet seat. Planning a trip to Italy? Start practicing how to squat. ASAP.
2. Air Conditioning.
Boy oh boy, did America spoil me with this one. Good luck finding a restaurant with CENTRAL air, aka being blasted in the face with cold air. I guess this is a blessing and curse. Bad for your sinus', good for your sweaty pits.
3. American Breakfasts.
I'm just saying cornetti filled with nutella are delicious, but how can you eat this for breakfast everyday without the options and variety of beautiful America? I couldn't live without my local bagel store, deli and diner.
4. ICED COFFEE AND TEAS.
So, basically the word iced coffee is nonexistent in the Italian language because whenever I would ask for one they would stare blankly at me. In America, you can get an espresso as well as an iced pumpkin spice lattè with soy. Yeah, I went there.
5. Plumbing.
Yes, I am back to talking about toilets again. I'm not quite sure what the cause of their terrible low pressure flushing system is, but let's just say every time I entered a bathroom I feared taking too big of a number two. (TMI? Sorry!)
Although this article expresses how fond I am of America, I encourage everyone to travel out of their country. It helps you to grow and appreciate what you have. Learning about a new culture is definitely worth all of the discomforts you may face along the journey.
