To Start Off:
I'm sure many of you reading this saw "missionary" and immediately thought of preachy people wearing clothes from their neck to their ankles and handing out Bibles to "savages" in the far reaches of the world. Honestly, your perceptions are not too far off. I'm pretty sure the word "savage" isn't politically correct, however.
Here's A Little Background:
I lived in the US until I was a toddler, after which we moved to the nation of Bangladesh. You've probably heard of this tiny country, a place about the size of Illinois containing 170 million people. That's roughly half the population of the US crammed into one state. And you thought you lived close to your neighbors. Bangladesh is a textile powerhouse, making many of the clothes that you find in US malls. Along with this, there have also been a number of cyclones and disasters that have taken countless lives.
Why Would We Move There?
Anyways, my parents always had a vision for reaching poverty-stricken people in this third-world country. Bangladesh is comprised of 90% Muslim people, one of the five largest Muslim nations in the world. As a young democracy, they have experienced extremely turbulent times, starting with their secession from India in 1947 to their bloody, brutal split from West Pakistan in 1971 that left what researchers have deemed to be one of history's most underrated genocides. Over 3 million Bengali people were massacred by West Pakistan in this dispute until India stepped in and ended the civil war. The US was largely apathetic about this genocide because they were allies with West Pakistan, a domineering and tyrannical nation. Along with this, Richard Nixon was president, and we all know how he felt about the Vietnam War.
My Childhood In A Third-World Country:
I lived in Bangladesh for 16 years. During my time there, I learned to assimilate into the culture, made numerous Bengali friends, and ultimately loved my experience there. I could not have asked for a better upbringing, because it made me realize how blessed we as Americans are. Materialism is so prevalent here that you come to appreciate the little things as a Bengali-American. I've seen wonderful and awful things in my (short) lifetime that continue to shape my worldview and give me a desire to help those that are less fortunate.
Here is an insight into the population density featuring a photo taken during the Muslim celebration of Eid.
With that being said, I was raised by two VERY conservative, strict parents. And when I say strict, you would not believe the stories I would tell you. Now that I'm on my own, I realize that I am very different from other people because of my upbringing and the values that were instilled in me from a young age. And most of those things were very beneficial and spurred me on in life! However, I have come to the conclusion that I am still dealing with repercussions from that upbringing to this day.
Where I Am At Today:
Recently, I had a falling out with my family over different views on how I should conduct adulthood and how much input and control they should have over my life as a 22 year old. I got weary of tip-toeing around them and making other people happy whilst inwardly being miserable and exhausted from obeying rules, regulations, & curfews. You think I'm joking, but a few months ago, my mom and dad enforced a strict weekend curfew of 9 PM! They also wanted me to quit my job so as to be able to attend a once a week Bible study. Following this demand, I realized we needed some time apart for me to grow and spread my baby bird wings away from the nest.
I will admit, I haven't been the best son over the years, but I was 21 years old! Seems like my behavior was related to the excessive rules, right?
Final Thoughts And Musings:
Anyways, here I am, on my own and very much enjoying my adult freedom here in Florida. It hasn't been super easy, but I'm still going to school and have a job that pays the bills and a girlfriend that I love very much. I joined Steemit off a tip from 
Well that's me in a few short paragraphs. Just wanted to officially introduce myself to this platform and to you all! Hope you enjoyed this post.