Learned:
1) Squatty potties are actually a more natural positioning and should be used everywhere (please youtube the squatty potty)
2)Nonverbal communication- who needs to know the language? charades all the time!
3) Clean is relative- if it doesn't stink it must be clean!
4) TV is wasted time, there is so much more that could be done in a day… talk to someone!
5) Manners- What culture are we in again? do we sit on the floor? chair? eat with our hands? use a fork? can we show our feet?
6) Westerners walk way too fast yet not nearly enough
7) Other cultures do weddings right- party for days!!
8) How to wash everything by hand- detergent could be a bar of soap or shampoo.
9) That you can kill lice with vegetable oil- you may need to do this more than once!
10) You can use coffee grinds to wash your face- seriously, you end up going green
11) Chickens can come in and out of your house as they please, As well as goats and cows
12) Singing is a universal language- everyone seems to know songs in english
13) Fast food is for the wealthy, not for the convenience
14) Street food is worth the risk, it is delicious
15) Time is relative- no one else in the world cares about being punctual
16) Toilet paper must be on your person at all times
17) Make-up is over-rated and melts off your face too quickly to bother with
18) All Westerners are rich compared to the rest of the world, even though you may not be.
19) If you are over the age of 21 years old and still single you have missed the boat, train, plane and every other mode of transportation you can think of.
20) Not all farm animals make the sounds from Old MacDonald had a farm.
Forgotten:
1) Seat belts- what are those? How do you use that?
2) Bathtub- you mean I get to sit and soak in clean water?
3) Washing machines/dryers- the mystical creature that magically cleans clothes and drys them quickly
4) Air conditioning- wait… you mean I don't have to sweat?
5) Cars- where is the bus? plane?boat? train? Why are there no strangers sitting in my personal space?
6) Independence- Where's my buddy? alone… it is a figment of my imagination
7) Bed- you mean I don't have to sleep on the floor?
8) Specialty coffee- black coffee and sugar- where did my options go?
9) TV-the boob-tube. Whats happening in the world? don't ask me!
10) Western food- rice, beans, rice, beans, rice, beans….
11) Vending Machines- too convenient to exist in our world
12) Style- ummm… the bigger the more comfy. Bring on the oversized t-shirts and fisherman pants.
13) Cell phones- I know you live in a mud hut with out electricity and have a cell phone, but I do not have one.
14) Safety and sanitary precautions are no more
15) Time- I don't own a watch, what time is it? Meal time, or the location of the sun is how we judge the time
16) Couches- the thing that you sit on across from the TV
17) Showering everyday- lets hope for once a week…
18) Mirrors- no one else cares what you look like, you shouldn't either.
19) How to speak proper english- broken english works just as well.
20) Reliable internet or electricity
After 9 months of traveling, one has to learn a few things. Above are just a couple of things that World Racers learn and forget while traveling. When on an all girls team there are more things that tend to be forgotten as well. Such as general manners, what is appropriate to talk about in public places, and what should remain just among the women, and when it is appropriate to release flatus, etc.
