Matt, thanks for sharing. People are often scared of what they don't know or understand. I've lived most of my adult life in the developing world (Africa, Asia, and South America) and take my family with young children on vacation to places like Namibia and Uganda instead of Europe. I've almost never had a bad experience. Road safety is about the only real concern.

Also, living and working somewhere for months or years is a very different experience to visiting for a few weeks. I wish people would spend more time getting to know a place rather than just passing through and taking a few photos to show their friends back home.