First World/Third World

You know you have moved back to a first world country when:

First world- two lamb burgers (although delicious), a shared salad and two beer- $47.50
Third world- three course meal and drinks for three- $24.00

First world- laundry: handkerchiefs- $3, shirts- $9.50, underwear- $4, shorts- $9
Third world- handkerchiefs- 10cents, shirts- 25 cents, underwear- 15 cents, shorts- 25 cents

First world- shuttle bus from Melbourne Airport, 45 minutes- $75 return, (for two)
Third world- private air conditioned van, (for two) Northern Bali to South Bali, 4.5 hours one way - $37.50

First world- you pay what ever the price is
Third world- you negotiate every thing and worry you might pay an extra $.25 and then spend 30 minutes trying to bargain down the shop owner (go figure!)

First world- always hot water to shower
Third world- sometimes you have hot water, sometimes the rain coming through the open air bathroom is warmer than the shower

First world- you can always drink the tap water
Third world- you could drink tap water if you wanted a severe case of "Bali Belly". Although the folks that live there don't seem to have a problem

First world- flush toilettes complete with paper!
Third world- combination of flush and open hole toilettes complete with a water hose or water bucket for cleansing

First world- a lot of nuclear families, where they live miles and miles apart from parents and siblings
Third world- close knit families and communities where every one pitches in. Also a very strong belief in their culture and religion

We in the so called First World are pretty spoiled by our standard of living but we pay a price for it both in economic costs and social costs.

I am not saying either is right or wrong, they are just different and that's okay.

The ability to see both sides- PRICELESS (well maybe a bit pricey)!