time gained
There are defaults in the developed world that pay in the currency of time. Time created by someone who decided it worth making potable hot water available at all times in every tap. Time found in dishwashers and reliable public transport. Back where I come from, one spends a lot of time waiting in lines. Queues to get on the bus, to be inspected before entering a shopping mall, for your bag to be checked before entering the cinema hall. One gets used to waiting, living in limbo, finding amusement within the drudgery of it all.
Sometimes I think about what I'm doing with all the time I've gained. Mostly, I walk. That wasn't a luxury I could avail where I'm from. I'm able to walk for miles without tiring, and stumble into beautiful gardens, cafes, beaches and bakeries. I wonder if those who grew up here feel the lightness of being, or if they've found tiny things to whine about over the years. We tend to be sulkers, I think.
I have the time to pause and be overwhelmed by the field of visibility, or the late evening sky soaked in colours so brilliant, it’s obscene. The buildings speak a language I’m yet to learn, and anyone can tell that this city is not accidental; it's been designed with love and patience, and there's a pride inherent in its tidiness and beauty. There's a quiet kindness, and an abundance of time reclaimed.
To my own motherland, I wish I could say the same.