James and I just finished up Month 5 of our race and are a week into Month 6. Our squad has dubbed our time in Nepal as the most “world raciest” month we have had so far. Month 6 is turning out to be quite an adventure as well. Looking back at the past month I wonder how I would have responded if those experiences would have happened Month 1 of my race.
So James and I are starting to feel like we have gotten the hang of this (However, I am sure some Month 10 or Month 11 or some Alumni Racers and thinking “Oh, you have no idea – the fun has just started”). But for now we wanted to share with you 11 ways that we have felt like official World Racers.
1) You encounter the nastiest squatty potty ever, complete with just a one foot hole filled with maggots and you don’t bat an eye. “Oh look, one of these.” But when you encounter a semi-gross public bathroom with a Western toilet you cringe as you dread touching the toilet seat.
2) You start speaking in broken English and using plenty of hand gestures – even when talking to your Squadmates.
3) You pee on your pant leg, but you don’t even consider changing your pants. When you are a girl and you spend most of your bathroom time squatting, it happens. It’s sterile, right?
4) Bathing in the river becomes the norm. Also, not bathing becomes the norm.
5) The idea of not handwashing your clothes becomes a luxury.
6) Good bread, egg noodles, tacos, and Dr. Pepper are joys to be celebrated. They may even bring a tear of happiness to your eye.
7) You don’t flinch when you are told there is a beehive in your bathroom. You only flinch a little when a Nepali man bursts into your room in the morning to start smoking them out so they can remove the honey comb. You even start laughing as you realize three Nepali men are in your room and you are in your sleeping bag in just a sports bra and underwear.
8) Hot showers are akin to the Loch-ness monster. You have almost stopped believing that they exist.
9) No one looks at you funny when you wear the same clothes for three days straight. Oh, and they all know you have been sleeping in them too.
10) When your husband tells you, “You do not smell near as bad as you should right now,” it is the greatest compliment in the world. He is just so sweet.
11) When you hear one of your teammates say “Pass me another fried frog, please.”
Hope you enjoyed our list! And if you want to read more about our life this month in Cambodia you can hop over to Shannon’s blog. She just posted about our craziest day here so far in Cambodia. (It is the day that inspired #11). You can check it out here!
