Trip to the enemy! NOT!

Guys,
I had a 3 week trip to Jordan. Just came back last night and I wish I could have stayed a bit longer. This trip really made me think how complex our life is in the USA. Life in other countries does not stop at 8:00pm. I got visitors at 11:00pm and I went for a shawerma sandwich at 1:00am.

People there do not have to worry about stocking up food on the weekend. If you feel like cooking egg plant, just go the store which is 20 feet away from your house. Food is cheap; a dollar can get you a decent meal!

Interesting things:
- Internet cafe's are everywhere
- DSL started appearing, still expensive though
- No public bathrooms.. Take a dump at your house!
- You DO NOT want to drive there unless you are a nascar fanatic.. Nobody respect traffic rules. You put the safety belt and you will be a minority in Jordan. Street Lanes, What is that?
- Be thankful for the air in the US. Jordan has desiel air, yet, the sky is so blue!
- Not many parks, but people are in parks till 3:00 in the morning if they are not kicked out.
- NO organization, no zoning, no parking, no side walks, and no pedestrian rules
- Buildings are not regulated. Every building looks different
- Rarely, you see grass. Soil is rocky and no vallies around Amman. Mountaineous! This actually made it have very beautiful spots for lovers!
- Trees, your choice: Fig, Olive, and grapes in 95% of the houses.
- Meat is expensive but vegetables are cheap for locals. For tourists, this is heaven.
- The king's pictures are everywhere and I mean everywhere.. Depressing!
- Freedom of speech: You have the right to shut the hell up or praise the king.
- The country is full of Iraqi's!
- People stop on the road sides for a cup of tea or coffee under a tree.. Easy life!
- You will notice nomads living between bulidings with their sheep and horses
- People are smart and very friendly.. Trust me when I say, they do not hate us. They do wear our T-shirts and Jeans and love them very much. They love to come to America and look up to us as the civilization of the time!
- TV Satellites are on 98% of the roofs. No cable companies. Every teen and young man or woman has a cell phone! (I still do not)
- Most Jordanians hate what we did in Iraq and Afghanistan. They support what Al Qaeda is doing against our forces but not against our people.
- The government is a dictatorship. It keeps sucking people's resources and mismanagement and government fraud stink bad.
- Government there applied our tax system and does not, for the most part, provide services to their people.

All in all, I loved how simple life and people are. I did enjoy the late night visits, walks, and dinings. It made me realize that there is more to life than emails, blogging, and work.

This trip made me think: would I consider exchanging my current life style with a simpler, yet not as clean or organized life? The 3 weeks trip made that a serious thought.

Would you exchange your current life style with a simpler one? What wouldn't you live without?