Am I pampered?

Am I the "pampered" American? Noone has used that word or come at in a disrespectful manner or anything but there have been a couple of occasions where people say something like "Man, you couldn't like where I'm from." Whether it's people I've met from Africa, smaller Asian towns, the Middle East, or anywhere else, we will be talking and they will discuss some condition that I would be disgruntled with that is completely normal to them. It started month ago when one gentleman was so shocked that America has standard central air conditioning in houses that he seemed to think we were wasteful. When people ask me about things I haven't adjusted to here in Malaysia and one of my answers is cold showers, as my bathroom at the apartment doesn't have the water heating unit required to get hot water in this country. This is usually followed by a look of shock as if hot water should be treated as a delicacy. When I walk into a bathroom, I don't like to see the floor serving as a big puddle, which is very common here. Part of it is drainage, part of it is that many use the hose in the stall instead of toilet paper (which gets everything wet). Call me stuck up, but it just doesn't strike me as the most sanitary. Not feeling it. Furthermore, I'm having trouble considering it normal if I come home to ants all over my living room or roaches all over my kitchen, even when it's clean. Once again, just doesn't give me that 'sanitary' feeling. If my electricity or phone bill has been paid, I expect it to stay on. I'm not a fan of random rolling black outs or dead phone times. Is that so much to ask? I expect quality dairy products, very hard to find here. I expect quality fruit juice for cheap. I know products which have to shipped from America will be more expensive, but it gets ridiculous. Why is a carton of Florida's Own juice (a middle of the road juice company) which costs $1 in Atlanta cost RM 25 (or $8.35 or so) here. Be reminded, I get paid in Malay ringgits, so RM 25 hits the pocket like $25 in the US. I'm coming to find that the American lifestyle of technology and convenience is seen as "the dream" for a reason. It's not promised. I appreciate it more now. I miss WalMart, Best Buy, Waffle House, IHOP, American sports bars, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and many more American establishments more than I could have imagined I would. LOL. Selamat malam, let me walk to the gym and get a decently warm shower.

The Enemy Among Us

Right after our return from Chinese New Years holiday, we noticed we had an extra crew member at sight. He's a seemingly nice older Pakistani man with a constant smirk on his face and who is always way too dressed up for the fact that we live on a construction site; usually a dress shirt, slate grey vest, and slacks to go with our obligatory hard hat and work boots. It's a shame I found out his purpose at our site and therefore we could never be friends. When we come to work in the morning, at the return times from each tea break, and anywhere near time to leave, he would be standing near the front gate watching us. Over the course of the day, you see him randomly walking and watching - never writing, reading, or interacting - only watching. You guessed it, he is the corporate spy. No other scope of work, just spying. He was replaced at another site so that he could come to ours and snitch about anyone's tardiness, early leaving, or anything else he may think is noteworthy in a bad way. As one of the ppl who depends on others entirely for my transportation, I'm one of those who is screwed by this. My boss or supervisor usually picks me and my Filipino co-worker up in the mornings. We are supposed to be there at 8 am sharp, we usually arrive between 8:15 and 8:30 am. Guess who's face is waiting at the gate every time? The same two gentlemen who usually provide me rides, my project manager and senior supervisor, don't want to arrive at their homes any later than they usually do. This means that if they are used to making it home at 6:30 pm or so, and taking us home takes them about 25 minutes out of their way, they want to leave earlier to compensate for the time spent. So of course, that means the same slightly smiling face sees me leave before 6 pm every day too. No good can come from him being at my job. And therefore, I've deemed him "the enemy among us"