5 Favorite First World Luxuries, A Nostalgic Post

5. Self-igniting stovetops!

Long gone are the days of flipping a switch to ignite a stove.  In some backwards evolution I had to learn how to light a stove with a match and find my oven’s pilot light.

4. Paved sidewalks!

Even in the middle of downtown, walking on the sidewalks is an urban jungle trek.  Watch your step for loose tiles and dog poop.  Some stretches of sidewalks have no tiles, just loose uneven gravel and cement scraps.  I do not know how anyone wears heels here.

3. Obedience of traffic lights!

Oh the good old days when a red light meant ‘stop’ not ‘speed up and honk your horn’.  Traffic here is terrifying.  Look both ways twice before you cross the street, it will save your life.

2. Sanitation!

Did you ever realize how sanitary things are in the USA?  I was raised by a germaphobe, so my point of reference is slightly slanted, but still I believe that things are much more sanitary in the States.  Dogs don’t deficate freely on sidewalks, people use harsh chemicals to clean all surfaces.  Oh, and dishwashers douse dishes is super hot water water for an hour, even though you already washed and scrubbed them completely in the sink.  Garbage trucks, (not homeless people who rip open your trash bags in search of recyclables) are responsible for public sanitation.

1. Central heating!

My first world luxurious upbringing spoiled me for life.  A heating system that works like magic, perfectly regulating the temperature throughout the whole house to an exact degree all day and night sounds like a fairytale as I sit by my gas heater that goes out every day or so, and only heats one room of the house.  I am not complaining, just reminiscing….