Some Random Things About Living Abroad

Here are some random observations about living/traveling abroad:

• I am much more aware of what time zone I am in at all times.
  
  
• I now know what the "+" sign means in phone numbers. Don't know? E-mail me and I'll explain.
  
  
• As Americans, we completely take for granted how lucky we are to cross any border into any country—no questions asked.
  
  
• For the first 29 years of my life, I carried my passport with me once—on a month long trip to Europe after college. Now I carry it with me all the time. Or at least a copy of it in my wallet when I'm in Costa Rica.
  
  
• I always have weird money in my wallet.
  
  
• As Americans, we live in a bubble of self-interest with little knowledge/care for the world outside our borders. Or as one non-American said to me today, "In fourth grade Americans learn every step in the legislative and judicial system, but they can't tell you where Canada is." Don't get me wrong—I'm as pro-American as can be. We just don't realize there is an entirely other world out there.