Reflections on USA vs. Asia after a 10-month Trip
I shared about my depression several posts back and on my website.
A big contribution to my depression coming back from the States is just how much it doesn’t feel like the government takes care of us or cares to even try.
It’s hard to think any differently when I pass by homeless encampments to and from work that seems to get worse every single day.
We pay so many taxes in California and with the high cost of living in the bay area, I’m wondering where is all that money going to?
In Asia, Eric and I mostly took public transportation. It was super convenient. When I would see kids going to and from school, all I could think about was how they got to do that without any thought of school shootings. Kids should be able to go to school without worrying about that.
In Taiwan, Eric was ridiculing me for not chilling out when I would make sure to sit somewhere to have eyes on our pieces of luggage at all times. He told me, “no one is going to steal our pieces of luggage”. I later looked up the rates of robbery in Taiwan and it was pretty much 0%.
We were taking a high-speed train some days later and when I went to the bathroom, I left my backpack and phone at my seat, AND I didn’t tell him to keep an eye on them for me! Hella late since Taiwan was the last country in our Asia tour!! Progress though!
It bewildered me that the vigilance and probably hyper-vigilance that’s been ingrained in me since birth took the entire 10 months for me to finally chill out a bit!
All that to relieve that tension is gone, now that I’m back in the bay.
Things in parts of Asia that we need in the states
affordable healthcare
reliable, fast public transportation (think Shinkansen)
housing for all
the right to go to school, a mall, the movies, public spaces in general, and not worry about shootings
the right to walk down any given street and not worry about being robbed
affordable, unprocessed, normal portion-sized meals
Some things that I did miss in the States (especially the Bay Area) though:
The diversity and melting pot of cultures, traditions, ethnicities, etc.
Having a home base. Not living out of a suitcase.
Having my routine
Friends, family, loved ones, our cats
A common question we get now that we’re back is if we’re going to leave again.
Eric and I have been going back and forth on this. With anything “bad” that happens here, or just how high costs are, we always joke we’re going to go back.
It feels like we’re in limbo right now.
Again, community is really important to us so that’s what’s making us stay for now. Parents are getting older. Godchildren are growing as well. If we eventually have kids, we would love for them to grow up with our friends’ kids and their cousins.
We’ll just have to live with this question and hopefully someday, there’s more clarity!
I’m hopeful. In my short life, I’ve witnessed Oakland get worse so I’m hoping that, what that means is that it’s possible for it to get better. ❤️🩹
