Like most 0.9 billion citizens in developed countries I thought I was living the "real life". A variety of circumstances detailed herein proved that this was not so. As an environmental sciences researcher at the University of Toronto and a consultant living and working worldwide it became clearly evident that the "real life" belongs to our 6 billion co-inhabitants elsewhere. This monograph provides brief often amusing and emotive, glimpses into the reality we seldom yet see. The book is structured by country and begins with surprising past, local incidents. China, South Africa and Brazil are among the several counties glimpsed from abroad.