Wednesday Websites We Love | If It Were My Home

People get so used to their everyday lives that it’s hard to fathom what life would be like in another country. I also takes a lot of research to really understand the differences between two places. If only there was a place that did all the research for you. Oh wait, there is! That’s why this week, IfItWereMyHome.com is the Wednesday Website We Love.

In essence, “If It Were My Home” takes statistics on two different places, does the math, and gives you a comparison. You can select any country from the list and they will compare your current location’s statistics to that countrys’. They include a variety of social, health, and environmental factors so you can see how different your life would be if you lived there. For example, we live in Chicago. However, if we lived in Kenya, this is how different our lives would be:

Yes, you’d be 83% less likely to end up in prison, but that’s probably also why you’d be 74% more likely to be murdered. Obviously, crime is a problem in Kenya.

They also color-code the negative (red) and positive (green) comparisons so at a glance you can see immediately how your area compares. For those considering an international move, this can give them a quick “Hell yes!” or “F– no!” answer.

Another great feature is the size comparison in the “Disasters” section. Even after hearing about international disasters in the news month after month, the true magnitude of it doesn’t always sink in. For example, if you’re wondering just how widespread the BP Oil spill was, this is how big it was in comparison to our region:

That would’ve destroyed Lake Michigan! So as you can see, it really puts things into perspective and allows people to understand why these aren’t just small issues. Right now, they only have the BP Oil Spill and the 2010 Pakistan flood documented, but hopefully they’ll include more in the future!