Great post. There is definitely something hard to articulate but absolutely life-changing about my mental state moving from the US to Taiwan. The complete lack of worry about all the things mentioned in this post (physical safety, personal property, transportation, etc) alleviates a burden I never knew was there until it was gone. Here it's completely normal for people to leave their phones or wallets unattended on a cafe table to claim a seat. And I don't worry about whether my front door was locked or about fumbling with cash in public.
For me, I never _consciously_ worried about these things much in the US but in the back of my mind it was always there. Every time I went out. I didn't realize the tension that it built up until I left.
For me, I never _consciously_ worried about these things much in the US but in the back of my mind it was always there. Every time I went out. I didn't realize the tension that it built up until I left.