International

A semester abroad is common among colleges students now. But when I was growing up in rural Alabama, the only person I knew who had been out of the country was a young man in the Navy, who brought his mother beautiful china. She kept in a corner cabinet in her living room ­ our awe was the same as if it had been in a museum.

Maybe that's why we consider it a privilege to be able to travel outside the U.S.

The comparison and contrast is fun, too. We deepen our appreciation for our great nation, and also bring back good ideas from other places.