Their is always a saying that survival is a must and those that make it in life are the one's that go extra miles to think outside the box and that is what makes the difference between two human beings, some persons actually feel comfortable on their current state but the quick and resilience ones go extra miles just to break out from the ordinary person. That your girlfriend is a perfect example of such persons that thinks outside the box, the country is hard no doubt but the sense of survival is still there and there are lots of person still making it through this hardship.