brave new world

i was traveling for work this week and was out of state for a few days. unlike most business trips, this time I was by myself and in a city where i didn't know a single person. as I sat in my hotel room on the second night, I had a thought.

after college, both my parents left Taiwan to come to the States. they moved to two seperate cities in Arizona, one in Tuscon, one in Pheonix. both moved to their new cities without any friends and family. both were barely able to speak english, and both lived day to day on a very tight budget. both were also younger than I am today. there was no Internet, no cell phones, calls back home to Taiwan were expensive, and neither had a car. and here I was sitting in a hotel room, laptop/Internet/blackberry/iphone, all within arm's reach. not only did I not have to worry about feeling lonely in a city by myself, it would never cross my mind to worry about finding food, being lost, or even getting from one place to another. the only things I had worried about were not sleeping though my alarm clock and making sure I had enough time to buy souveniers. and then it hit me; my parents are a whole lot braver than I had realized. to be in a new country by oneself, no transportation, no grasp of the language, no Internet/cell phone, no friends, no family, and little money... it is so much harder than i had ever given them credit for.