I am a spoiled American

I am a spoiled America. I've never felt so spoiled as I do coming home from this trip to Ghana. I'm not sure why, as I know my life is less materialistic now than it was before I ever went to Ghana.

What makes me a spoiled American?

**I think my 2004 car is verging on "old" while in Ghana any car past 2000 is considered "new."

**I live in a place that doesn't really get too hot or too cold 98% of the time.

**I have air conditioning in my car and can afford to use it whenever I am the least bit hot or cold, because I don't pay nearly $6 a gallon for gas.

**I have heat and air in my house that can be controlled with the push of a button. No wind or windows, fire or wood required.

**The city water runs to the pipes of my house every single day. If it doesn't, someone will come to my house and fix the problem for me. I don't need a big plastic tank in my yard for days when the city water doesn't come.

**I never have to take a bucket shower or pour a bucket of water in my toilet to make it flush.

**I never have to wait more than 10 seconds for very hot or very cold water to come out of my tap--whatever I wish is there whenever I want it.

**My pipes can not only flush toilet paper, they can also take food that is ground up thanks to my garbage disposal. A garbage disposal!

**I can buy towels for a few dollars. My Ghanaian friends can't. Cheap hand towel--14 cedis. Set of two nice bath towels--63 cedis!

**I have more sets of clothes to wear than there are days in the week. Luxury.

**I can wash my clothes very well by throwing them into a tub with a bit of soap--all done electronically.

**I can dry my clothes in 90 minutes, even if it's raining outside--thanks to my electric clothes dryer.

**I can feed my children 3 meals each day AND these meals are enriched with all sorts of vitamins and minerals.

**I have a TV with video and sound and no "snow" and about 100 channels.

**I can send my kids to school FOR FREE or I can choose to educate them well at home. I have educational options for my children.

**I can pay my mortgage every month. My Ghanaian friends must pay rent 24 months in advance!

**I can get any life-saving medication my family needs for $4 to $50 because of prescription insurance. I don't have to watch Eric or Kendi die because their medication is not available in my country OR accessible to my budget!

**I have the opportunity to pay taxes, which then go to pay for roads and schools and hospitals and foster families and all sorts of other infrastructure I take SO for granted that I can't name them here.

**My house is roughly 1825 square feet of safe living space--a huge amount of space to most families in the developing world.

**I can wash my dishes by moving them from the sink to a machine, and pushing "start."

**I live in a country where people feel sorry for the kids who don't have access to a personal computer--a country where there are actual whole charities dedicated to providing computers to all of the "poor" children of the world.

**Each of my children have their very own raised bed with mattress and sheets and pillow.

**I can get in my nice car and travel down nice roads for 5 minutes to get to a grocery store where there is fresh meat, cheese and other protein sources for a few dollars, and I will have dozens of types to choose from.

**There is a flushing sit-down-style toilet within 5 minutes of me, a.. the time in America. Well, okay...maybe about 90% of the time!