How did we get used to this

Sometimes I am amazed

at what a person can get used to. 

Like....

Showering over the toilet

Stepping over piles of garbage while walking along the street. 

Holding you breath as you pass by certain areas of town because you know it smells really bad. 

Massages for $6

Sand on the floor in the house 

Talking to parents and friends at odd times of the day on Skype 

Walking outside instead of down the hall to get to our bedroom after tucking the kids into bed. 

Telling people 20 times a day that I don't want to buy a bracelet, have a massage or need a ride somewhere. 

Looking into the eyes of a hungry beggar and walking away. 

Bartering with a 5 year old over a bracelet. 

Cooling off in the ocean. 

Going everywhere in a Tuk Tuk. 

Ordering my meals instead if cooking them. 

Spending all day with my family. 

Crossing the road with traffic speeding by on either side of me. 

Seeing babies and children on motorcycles without helmets. 

Sending Colton and Miranda out on a sailboat. 

Talking to people using as few words as possible 

Having to barter for everything I buy. 

Sleeping without my pillow. 

Living without a phone. 

Wearing the same clothing day after  day. 

Not having a schedule. 

Being hot. 

Having limited Internet. 

Lizards on the walls inside every room. 

Watching someone throw garbage out their car window. 

Seeing cows, goats, chickens, pigs and water buffalo walking on the roads  in cities

All of these things make travel in other countries so different from Canada. These things make up the experience. You have to take the bad with the good and learn from it all. 

We are changed because of the differences we see. We are changed because of the interactions we have with the people we have met. Some things I could do without and hope things will change for the better for the people of Asia. It will take time. Time and education. For them, but for us just as much.