How has international exposure changed your perspective on your own country / home town?

Anna: How has international exposure changed your perspective on your own country / home town?
For those who have international experience, what is something you used to appreciate a lot in your country or maybe take for granted, and after you travelled and saw different perspectives, you started questioning.

I find it very interesting that international experience doesn’t only teach you about new cultures, but it teaches you as well about your OWN culture since it allows you to see thing more critically.

Any experiences on this?

Answers and Views:

Answer by LavaCake
An extended trip to Israel taught me that Israel isn’t a democracy as we in the US view democracy.
I appreciate the US more now.
The sewage systems(only 80% of Jerusalem has an adequate sewage system),
Our pet control laws(there are 40,000 stray cats in Tel Aviv alone. It doesn’t rain much there. Imagine the stink! It’s like a crazy Cat Lady’s house!),
The newspapers here are much less biased.
And of course, rockets aren’t coming into the US from Gaza. My bedroom was a bomb shelter! What kind of a way is that to live?
Factor in the infighting between the different Jews and then add the unsolvable Palestinian conflict.
THREE CHEERS FOR THE RED,WHITE AND BLUE!