Although it has only been 100 days since I was sitting comfortably on my couch watching television like a proper American, it feels like I have lived a lifetime away from what I consider normal. I thought I would share what has now become normal to me. I’m sure if you talk to past or present racers or anyone living overseas, they would see these things as normal too. To be honest, so far, these may be my favorite things about being a racer, since I love being abnormal!
Normal to me is:
-Carrying toilet paper everywhere, never putting it in a toilet though, instead throwing it away after use.
-Eating anything put in front of you despite the color, smell, or texture
-Wearing 3 outfits for 3 months, and only washing them by dunking them in a bucket of soapy water
-Considering less than 24 hours of travel short
-Not even having alone time in the bathroom
-Forgetting which words belong to which language
-Getting excited over watching a movie on a laptop
-Becoming addicted to caffeinated beverages around the world
-Getting in a head-on collision with a bull or water buffalo is a legit fear I have
-When Peanut Butter is a luxury
-Waking up in the night to kill the family of ants eating me
-Naming our house animals, the mice, geckos, and cats/dogs
-Going to the beach when it’s 100* in pants and a t-shirt
-Staying up all night to sing and pray in a tent with my team
-My rubber flip flops have become my tires and I am my own SUV
-That bowel Movements are a legit conversation topic, especially on my all girls team, at ALL times
-How hand gestures are a language of their own
-Getting asked to sing our national anthem is common
-Feeling like a Disney Princess everywhere I go
-Teaching the cupid shuffle as a lesson in school
-Dressing cute from the neck up for “dates” on skype and your team being part of that “date” by overhearing everything
-Saying “that would make a good blog” on a daily basis
-Practicing my aim over a whole while on a moving train to go to the bathroom
-Crying out of nowhere is completely expected
