[michaelochurch]

There's also a difference between vacationing and living abroad. You don't need to spend a lot of time abroad to gain that knowledge and perspective, but you're not going to learn it in one- and two-week vacations entirely surrounded by middle-class comfort.

As for OP, I think he learned a lot more than what he articulated. He's obviously intelligent, thoughtful, and experienced. But the 29 points he gave are all observations that, while valuable, are hardly original. This isn't surprising; usually the things people say they learned aren't what they actually learned because the latter are too subtle and difficult to articulate.