In most other countries in the world, efficiency does not triumph all. I remember when I got to France and was warned by our liaison that walking while eating was faux pas; even among students . I just couldn’t believe it.  Who had time to get home from classes and sit down to eat lunch – whether cooked or bought. Well, by month three, I had somehow found the time. I picked up from the locals that I could stop at the daily open air market on my home and have everything I needed to make a healthy lunch. Since we didn’t have TV – at least not the “good stuff” that I like to watch – my roommates and I often shared the tasks of cooking or just ate together. Somehow along the way, this just became the norm and I needed to re-adjust when I got back to the states.

I am now back in the re-adjustment period here in Caracas, but I am NOT complaining. I have enjoyed (enjoyed being the operative word) many more meals in my short time here with my family than I would have in the states. I pick up fresh foods at the store several times a week as opposed to stocking up for a month – a small refrigerator will leaves few options. All in all, I am slowing down.

The hardest part of this transition is changing my expectations from the service industry. No matter what you are buying here, the person selling to you is not in a rush. This may seem really rude at first, but I find that they like to give each person/customer as much time as they need; even if that need is talking about the last night’s baseball game

Do you have any similar stories/perceptions from abroad?

Photo credits: markofphotograpy and Philipp Klinger

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Apparently, countries such as France have changed the way they measure the well-being of their inhabitants to better reflect overall happiness. These countries decided that looking at economic indicators do not indicate well-being as well as family relationships and access to health care.

I think that the traditional indices have their places in economic forums and fiscal planning; but, to really determine whether or not people are well, I think the alternative measures are more accurate.  As someone who has chosen alternative places to live, I am actually very excited at the prospect of these indicators being used by more countries.

As more and more countries adopt these measures and make the results public, it will be very interesting how they are ranked. I am sure that the countries people sometimes perceive as “troubled” will rank much better than expected. When people (usually those living in the US) give me funny looks when I talk about the places I’ve chosen to live, I think it has more to do with moving to the unfamiliar – even though they claim that they could never give up their US standard of living. Also, there is the perception that people from all over the world leave their countries to come to the US for a better life. So, why on earth would someone leave? I will tell you my answer at a later date, but I suspect the over 1 million American expatriates have similar reasons.

What do you think about the alternative measurements for prosperity? Do you think it can change the way we view life in other countries?

Photo credits: Dollars! by pfala and The Earth is God’s Canvas. by Catch the dream

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