Things we take for granted in the USA

[Imua 0]

The protected right for even the most ignorant among us to speak their minds freely.

A very low incidence of preventable disease, particularly in children (compared to many other countries).

Free grade school education.

Unrestricted inter-state travel.

Some of the cheapest gas in the world (still).

Basic human rights, especially for women.

Voting.

Good roads.

I love my country but fear my government!

Maya

Maya didi, how could you forget:

Being able to drink tap water without worrying about Giardia, Cryptospora, amoeba or other nasties

Being able to cross the street (at a marked, usually lighted crosswalk-imagine!) without being run over by a cycle rick or motorbike - they did install traffic lights at Chabahil Chowk and Gaushala Chowk last year but of course Nepali pedestrians ignore them and cross whenever they please, taking their lives in their hands

Being reasonably sure that you can get to your destination without being accosted by possibly rabid street dogs

Eating any fresh dairy, fruit or veggies you want without being afraid of illness

Sidewalks and stairs in public areas are generally well-repaired for fear of liability - important for people like me with vision issues

Well-lit streets

Sufficient electricity - no surprise power cuts

The 911 system

The Americans with Disabilities Act

You can have an election without general public unrest - interesting how yesterday's NYT Travel section article about how great tourism is in Nepal now says the elections are scheduled for later this year - try IN 3 WEEKS - just in time for peak trekking season!!! Hope we're not in for a repeat of April '06...

Not a big fan of AC here so I actually liked the lack of it in KTM, but window screens, definitely

PUBLIC LIBRARIES!!!!! Not just a 'public library' which was really a room to store newspapers like I saw in Jayabageshwori

Usually I am a huge critic of the US - I could make a list just as long of what Nepal has to offer that the US doesn't - but these things are definitely advantages of American life which I appreciate.

Edited March 24, 2008 by Pattu Rani

[AnewKINDofFEELIN 0]

24-hour access to hardcore porn.

They have that in Panama also.

Doesn't stop me from taking it for granted here....

[GabiandVi 34]

24-hour access to hardcore porn.

I've got that in China! Japanese and Korean porn. Second thought, maybe it's not hardcore.

What I don't have in China:

24 hour Walmart (I've found that I often need to buy socks, brownie mix, and tires at 3:00AM)

Paying utilities online

A car

Lean Cuisine, etc.

spit free zones

smoke free elevators

What I'll miss when I move back to the USA:

Sunday banking.

meat on a stick

driving the wrong way into 5 lanes of oncoming traffic and not a single honk

Cheap everything

coming home to a clean house

three-wheel taxis

Mule driven carts in the city

split pants

Etc.

[sara..... 371]

no stops by the military ever few miles to check all the passengers in the car........dial soap......good shampoo........hair salons that really know how to give a spiral perm.........electric 24-7.........net 24-7........being able to jog..........there are lots more but thats the top of my list lol

[nana_356 0]

I love evrything about the US, as a woman having the freedome of going places without a man shaperoning meis great. Sometimes I feel that people that were born in the US dont truly know how lucky they are. I mean, I personally cant wait to be able to vote, and have jury duty.

[Amby 490]

I love libraries. They are such a great resource. I noticed that libraries that I visited in England were not as large as the ones I've visited in the US. My favorite library was the one I frequented in Notting Hill. Very very small but very friendly.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I've never been stuck outdoors during a shoot-at-sight curfew in America.

America is awesome!!!!

[almaty 19]

ncaa tourney ...pro football..pro baseball.....and strippers on poles

[franklie 0]

Clean and free restrooms at public parks, beaches. Minimal vandalism at public venues. The ability to walk on the grass at a public park without a security guard hassling you. Clean beaches. Police officers that actually try to uphold the law. Free school for children.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

Clean and free restrooms at public parks, beaches.

Ah yes, I forgot. Not paying to use a public restroom. I seriously thought it was a joke the first time I saw it.

[Imua 0]

I love libraries. They are such a great resource. I noticed that libraries that I visited in England were not as large as the ones I've visited in the US. My favorite library was the one I frequented in Notting Hill. Very very small but very friendly.

I was quite impressed by the local public libraries in the UK though - I stayed in Bletchley for 3 months and remember borrowing loads of books, CDs and videos on my friend's card. I think it really depends on the local library system though. I grew up with one of the best systems in the country, in Hawaii of all places - it was the librarians I knew who inspired my love of books and made me want to become a librarian myself.

[Niels Bohr 72]

The right to be sexy.

[Minya's wife 24]

The right to be sexy.

Especially once you retire.

[Imua 0]

Clean and free restrooms at public parks, beaches.

Ah yes, I forgot. Not paying to use a public restroom. I seriously thought it was a joke the first time I saw it.

Oh yeah - I remember going to Germany for the first time at 17 and being like ' WHAT??? You have to pay to take a whiz?????'

And another BIG thing that is good about America - how could I forget?

No charging higher prices to foreigners/'tourists' for services and facilities. In many other countries(and NOT just poor, third-world ones where you can think of reasons to justify it) if you are a foreigner you have to pay higher prices for public transport, museums, national parks, etc. The justification is that locals pay taxes... So why don't foreigners have to pay to go to the Smithsonian then????

[Imua 0]

I've never been stuck outdoors during a shoot-at-sight curfew in America.

America is awesome!!!!

Ditto - I was in KTM the day after King B et al were shot and a shoot-on-sight curfew was imposed for much of the first week I was there - scary time....