April 23, 2006 - page 2

I suppose it was out of a bit of necessity that I found friends within this group, but I truly have come to love these people and value these newfound friendships. They are really special to me.

I’ve also learned lessons about my home by living over here. The United States is a very privileged nation and too often we don’t realize this. In some ways, the U.S. is too privileged and it leads to a culture of overindulgence. Things are incredibly inexpensive back home compared to prices here. Having to walk everywhere here, I don’t think I’ll be driving my car across Centre’s campus when I return. That’s just a waste. I may even start taking public transportation in Louisville now that I see its benefits. I wonder if I’ve forgotten how to drive. Living in a more environmentally conscious society has helped me to become the same way. We are a wasteful society. I’ve noticed that my roommate and I produce more trash than anyone on our floor in the public apartment building in which we stay. I’ve also noticed that we eat far more than ‘normal’ Europeans, but that may be my skewed perception due to distance running and its impact on metabolism. But, in general, the only large people you see here are either the wealthy, or American tourists. I really feel like I need to change some of my habits in light of my realizations. One needs to get as much life out of the day as possible because you never really know when life will close its book.