Clarification

I would like to make sure, at this point, that you all understand the tone of this blog and of my experiences here. I am studying abroad in a developing country, homestaying in a place very different to anything I am used to. There is no bias except my own personal standpoint; by that I mean that I try to describe what I see and what I feel as two different things. of course, it is impossible to be completely objective. But when I say that the toilet has no seat, you must also understand that it is washed every night. And when I tell you all how giving and hospitable a country this is, you must also know how dangerous it is to go out at night alone. I am trying to say, then, that even though it is naïve and even useless to compare this country, these people, and this way of life to those in the United States, it is all I have, and comparisons are often the easiest way to communicate. But there is no way I could hope to do it justice; the difference is too great and the level of not-knowing that I have yet to fully realize is too immense.

And I have no doubt there will come a time when the "honeymoon is over" and I stop being impressed and start getting fed up with it all. You'll hear about that when it happens. But trust me- you'll know when that happens. And it hasn't happened yet.