Column: Travelling abroad made me appreciate U.S.
It is true, you don’t realize what you have until it is gone.
I experienced this phenomenon first hand over spring break. I traveled to a beautiful country with even more beautiful climates, the Dominican Republic.
The gorgeous beaches, sunshine, palm trees, 80-degree weather and turquoise water were a complete paradise. The vacation to this Caribbean island could not have been a better choice!
However, during my time there, I realized how glad I am I was born in the United States and how much I appreciate this country.
Upon arriving, I was warned to not drink the water. I could not even use the water at the hotel to brush my teeth.
I had to use bottled water. This shows how poor the water quality these people live with is.
The food was also lacking in quality. I was cautioned from not eating the tomatoes since they are homegrown. The meat quality was also questionable.
The meat was edible, but it tasted and looked different.
Here in the United States, we are pretty spoiled as to the quality of our food and meat, but in some countries, there is no sense of quality.
For most of the trip, I lived off bread and fruits. Maybe the food really wasn’t that bad, but I am so spoiled here and used to food being a certain way that the food there was hard to eat.
The water quality and food quality were not even the saddest part. Vendors roam the beach looking for people to come buy things from their shops. They will take almost any amount of money for one of their products.
But what was most disturbing was the 5-year-olds approaching me to buy handmade hats. These children are already working at such a young age.
Even worse, they will probably be doing that same thing for most of their lives, if not all of their lives.
It really made me see how lucky we are here in the United States and all the opportunities that come with being born in this country.
We have the world at our fingertips because we were born here; we just have to take advantage of it.
I would recommend the Dominican to anyone, not only for a great vacation spot, but to realize how lucky and fortunate we are to be in such an opportunity-filled and highly developed country.
Abby Allgire is a senior journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812