First World Problems

I am just a little bit upset right now and I am not quite sure how to put it into words.

For the past few days I have sat in my house and watched the events around me unfold.  I have received numerous emails with specific instructions on where I can and cannot go.  I have followed news sites and social media sites to try to get the most up-to-date information I can but this has left me in a rather depressing mood. 

I have tried to keep people updated with the information I have received because I know that back home there isn’t much news going on.  This has overwhelmed me and honestly my thoughts have been on the situation around me basically non-stop since Wednesday night. 

While these events consume me, I am noticing that others don’t seem to care.  I know that I cannot blame people for not caring or understanding because I know if I were at home I would be behaving in the same way. I am reading articles about sirens going off in Jerusalem or a peace negation was almost reached before the leader of Hamas was killed or how there are calls for the overthrow of the monarchy of the country in which I am currently living.  All of these things are directly effecting the world in which I am currently living and I am not even deeply rooted in this world.  I don’t pay taxes, I will be leaving in just about a month and I have no family here yet I feel for these people because they have taken me in to their offices, their classrooms, their cafes and their homes and made me feel as if I were one of them. These events have also affected my life for the past few days.  I have had to remain in certain areas of town, my weekend travel plans were cancelled and next week I will have to start paying more for transportation.

So compare this, what I have been reading and what I have been living with, to what I read on facebook and twitter.  Today I literally read a status that said "It's a sad day for America. No more twinkies...". If that is the worst thing our country has to deal with right now then we are sitting pretty darn pretty. I'm not saying that Hostess plant shutting down isn’t a bad thing and I am by no means saying that I am now an expert on foreign affairs but I just wish that we in America were not so oblivious to the world around us. 

This has been one of the most eye opening experiences of my life and although I am starting to reach my breaking point and feel a significant bit of depression in regards to everything I have just described I would not trade these past few months, especially not these past few days, for anything. You never know what you have until it is gone and I pray that we are able to recognize all that we are blessed with back home so that we won't have to suffer like so many people around the world.

Note- I did not write this to describe my life but rather in a an attempt to have my readers take a look at their own lives and just be that much more thankful.

Update- Today, so far, has been a rather peaceful day in Jordan. I was able to go out this morning and get a good "American" breakfast and spent the morning doing a little exploring.  I have not really witnessed too much of the protesting first hand but it is out there.  

Protests in downtown Amman today.