In China, the shower water often smelled like fish and was dirty. The tap water was undrinkable. Each night I would have to boil water so that I could brush my teeth. Boiling water sterilized it from the germs that were indigenous to China. Another everyday item that I took for granted before my trip was having new clothes to wear.
Many Chinese people wear rags for clothes.
Also, while blue jeans had always been a necessity for my wardrobe, for most Chinese people, blue jeans are a prized possession. In China, people live in incommodious shacks with no air conditioning. While in China, I learned what it would be like to live in a two by four house with ten people. Seeing dozens of people living in such a small shack taught me to appreciate my house and especially my room. The sometimes ninety-degree weather in China is by no means comfortable.