Realization & Appreciation

I felt miserable the moment I stepped of the plane. The humid air made it hard for me to breathe. The crowds of people scrambling to get their luggage gave me a headache. As soon as I got out of there and onto my cousins motorcycle I made myself a promise. I promised myself that I would try to make the best out of this trip. As the wind blew through my hair and he drove me through the dirty streets of Vietnam I embarked on new journey.
This past summer I spent some time in Vietnam. The living conditions were the complete opposite of what I am accustomed to. My small bedroom with pink walls and my twin size bed is like a 5-star hotel room compared to my sleeping quarters in Vietnam. I was also confronted with altering my Americanized diet of French fries and hamburgers.
My family traveled all over Vietnam so I had the opportunity to experience different ways of life. Life in the city was filled with technology: computers, television, and air-conditioning. Life in the country was a whole different experience. Farm animals running around were a household norm and if luck was on my side, a toilet could be found. My grandma lived in the county. She is very old fashioned and lives in a tiny house with a garden in her backyard where she grows melons, lemons, aloe plants, and many other fruits and vegetables. In the morning she wakes up before sunrise to walk to the market to sell some produce and make little cash. Her floors were made of cement and her roof was made of a material that is similar to that of an aluminum trashcan. When it rains, the roof leaks.
My grandma is actually a very wealthy woman. With all the money she has, she could probably buy a mansion in Vietnam and live in the city. She could even come live in America if she wanted. For some reason, she picks her lifestyle over a new one. I was never quite able to grasp why, but I loved being at my grandma’s house just because she was there. I didn’t mind sleeping on the floor and I didn’t mind the pitter patter on the roof when it rained. My dad said I could learn a lot from her. Although she occasionally lectured me on my education and importance of religion and obedience to my elders, I feel that what I learned from her was far more than just that. It didn’t take words, books, and excessive research to learn about her simple lifestyle. Growing up with more than just the pure necessities has numbed my appreciation for simple. I don’t need brand name clothes and purses.
I didn’t have an appreciation for what I had until my trip to Vietnam because so many people had less. Finding money was hard. Kids as young as age seven woke up early mornings to find work. Instead of going to Stop and Shop to buy chicken we would have to run and catch a wild one. People slept on street corners and cement floors. As I boarded my plane to head home I had a new outlook on life. When I arrived home to my pink room, I had a new appreciation for my bed.
Spending a nice portion of my summer in Vietnam helped me appreciate all the simple things I have like my family, education, health, and even all those extra things like clothes, and all the gizmos and gadgets from my ipod to my laptop. So many people don’t even have the simplest things. Some people don’t a family and money or an education or good health. That is why I would like to go into nursing and care for people that are sick and have less of a physical capability than I do. I feel that since I came into realization of the things that I have and the things that I am capable of that can use that to make a difference and help people.