– Your least favorite animal is the rooster.
– You have trouble
remembering what side of the road you drive on at home.
– You carry a
headlamp in your purse.
– You have more
than three currencies in your purse.
– It has become
normal to turn off the shower water as you lather up. This is either because the water is
freezing cold or you’re afraid of running out of water while you are still
soapy. This is a legitimate fear since more than once you have found
yourself with shampoo dripping down your face yelling for your teammates
to bring you bottles of water.
– Everyone notices
when you have a new item of clothing.
And often times, the response to “Where’d that come from?,” is “the free
table.”
– When you’re not
tenting, you always have at least 3 roommates and sometimes 50. This same amount of people will
inevitably share the one bathroom…leaving morning routines always
eventful!
problem using the toilet with the bathroom door open, one person in the
shower, and three people standing around the sink.
– You look for the
trashcan when you enter the bathroom stall, because it has become the norm
for you to dispose your toilet paper in the trashcan.
– You are better at
squatting on the side of the road than the locals….thank you China.
– It’s hard to
remember what there is to eat besides rice. Rice makes up 90% of your diet and in
some countries they don’t think that you have eaten a meal if you haven’t
had your rice.
– You have
attempted to speak 10 languages over the past year. This often leads to being very good at
explaining things with your movements.
– 4 countries, 3
continents, 3 days – completely normal.
– You have become
very creative and resourceful. Yes, this is what I have been wearing for the past month.
– You see a rat or
cockroach scurrying through a house, yet
you carry on as if it were completely normal.
– Ziploc bags are
sacred. You wash and reuse
them. You celebrate when they come in packages. And you always
make sure you get them back when they are lent out.
– You have learned
not to ask questions when the water and the electricity shut off – it
happens at least once a day in some countries, sometimes for several days
at a time.
– Random people ask
to take pictures with you…all the time!
– In the middle of
dinner, you stop and ask what country you’re in.
– You are competent
at taking a shower from a bucket of water.
– You have learned
the art of washing your laundry by hand.
– You carry a roll
of toilet paper in your purse because most bathrooms lack that luxury.
– You have ridden
more modes of transportation than you ever knew existed.
– You have learned
to adapt to anything.
– You main topic of
conversation at dinner is bowel movements.
– You can make an
outfit out of any 4 pieces of clothing.
– You wear the same
thing 3-4 days in a row.
Because of these things and many more that I have not named, I may act a little strange when I arrive home. Elizabeth Scaife has compiled a list of some things you can most likely expect post World Race…
If they come to your house, its perfectly normal to hear…
“Can I drink this water?”
“So, is it cool to flush the TP here…?”
“There wasn’t a name on it, so I used it. Hope that’s ok.”
“Where’s the Free Table?”
“Hey do you care if I borrow your toothbrush, I left mine at home.”
Routine behaviors that might raise an eyebrow, but are perfectly normal…
Excessive
trips to the free refill counter, accompanied with lots of slurping and
an excited “Ok, really, last trip…I promise. This is so much fun!!”
Instead of folding clothes into drawers, they are rolled tightly, military style (and MIGHT be stored in ziploc bags too)
Every month, clothes are tossed out, with the simple explanation of “It weighs too much. Get rid of it!!”
Constant blogging.
Guzzling gallons of iced tea at record pace.
Bargaining with the store clerks at Wal-Mart.
The offer to do your logistics for the family vacation.
The inability to stay in one place very long.
Gleeful laughing and clapping at the sight of a clothes dryer.
The insistence that another international trip must be planned quickly because “I still have 3 blank pages in my passport!”
Hand-sanitizing.
They’re really not kidding when they say…
“Sorry, officer… I really didn’t realize 10 people in one car was such a problem.”
“Who wants to climb that waterfall and jump off with me?”
“How much will you pay me to eat this bug?”
“I haven’t showered in, like, 3 days. I just didn’t think about it.”
“There’s one brownie left. Let’s arm-wrestle for it.”
“That looks so gross. Let’s taste it!”
Be patient when they say…
“$10 ?! I’m not paying that. In China, its only $2.”
“When I was in the Philippines….”
“Oh my gosh, when we were in Swaziland…”
“Well, in Cambodia…”
“Ha, that’s nothing. When we were in Thailand…”
“Yeah…when I was on the World Race…”
“Plan? No. Let’s just figure it out when we get there.”
You’ll notice they’re very resourceful…
“What’s our budget?”
“Refried beans? Spaghetti noodles? Spinach?…Yeah, I can definitely make a meal with this.”
“Just squish in!! Last time, we fit 10 people in one of these.”
“Want me to ask those random people to give us a ride?”
“Toilet paper? Yeah, sure. I have a roll in my pocket.”
Don’t be offended if you hear a spontaneous…
“Sprrrrrrrrf.”
