I have noticed so many things that no longer bother or surprise me that seem to raise questions in my parents' brains. It is amazing how much you can adapt in a year to change your views of the world. I decided to make a list to remind me of how much my brain has expanded in the last 2 years.
1. Kids on motorbikes. Families of 4 or 5 easily cram onto one bike as if it is a family vehicle and kids who are maybe 10 can drive in the villages. My parents we so intrigued.
2. Cold showers. A daily thing for me now, I had to turn on the heater for my father. When we took bucket showers in the villages he screamed in terror.
3. Sitting criss cross. On boats, in cars, at dinner. This is a way of life. My father could not flex this way.
4. How low the ceilings are. I have grown used to bending down all the time.
5. The smell of cigarettes. Serious complaint of my parents and I would say it wasn't even half as bad as Albania. I didn't even take them to any bars.
6. The geckos. They sat intrigued staring at them.
7. The boats. I'm not sure if they thought we were going on cruises and I'll be honest I thought we would be on nicer ferries, but the shock on their faces at our private boat ride in a fishing boat was hilarious.
8. No air con. Yep. You sweat at night. It's fine. Everyone does.
9. The inexpensiveness. I have been handling the money and keeping a tab. Every time we finish a meal they ask how much it was and when I tell them they nearly faint. Today I bought 2 bunches of pisang susu (milk bananas) for 1.50 and they were in shock.
10. The road. My dad cannot get over how long it takes to get places, and how much time we had to spend in a car. Likewise driving on the opposite side of the road keeps freaking them out, and the random wash away roads we managed to weave our way around was quite the experience.
1. Kids on motorbikes. Families of 4 or 5 easily cram onto one bike as if it is a family vehicle and kids who are maybe 10 can drive in the villages. My parents we so intrigued.
2. Cold showers. A daily thing for me now, I had to turn on the heater for my father. When we took bucket showers in the villages he screamed in terror.
3. Sitting criss cross. On boats, in cars, at dinner. This is a way of life. My father could not flex this way.
4. How low the ceilings are. I have grown used to bending down all the time.
5. The smell of cigarettes. Serious complaint of my parents and I would say it wasn't even half as bad as Albania. I didn't even take them to any bars.
6. The geckos. They sat intrigued staring at them.
7. The boats. I'm not sure if they thought we were going on cruises and I'll be honest I thought we would be on nicer ferries, but the shock on their faces at our private boat ride in a fishing boat was hilarious.
8. No air con. Yep. You sweat at night. It's fine. Everyone does.
9. The inexpensiveness. I have been handling the money and keeping a tab. Every time we finish a meal they ask how much it was and when I tell them they nearly faint. Today I bought 2 bunches of pisang susu (milk bananas) for 1.50 and they were in shock.
10. The road. My dad cannot get over how long it takes to get places, and how much time we had to spend in a car. Likewise driving on the opposite side of the road keeps freaking them out, and the random wash away roads we managed to weave our way around was quite the experience.
11. Lack of paper products and squat toilets. They would rather stay dehydrated than pee in something so gross. I can pee anywhere now, but much prefer the outdoors to any other option.
12. The food quality. Cold chicken and rice for lunch? Perfectly acceptable to me.
13. The amount of tea and coffee offered to us. 5 cups a day is just enough to get through right? if my dad drinks tea after noon he is up ALL night.
14. The call to prayer. I hear a comment almost every time it goes off and they both claim to be woken up in the middle of the night by it. I remember this once being an issue for me....
15. The number of backpackers and older couples traveling for months on end living out of a pack, and buying everything cheap. They just don't get how they can a)afford this or b) why on earth they would want to.
Additionally I'm realizing that the listed items are going to be serious reverse culture shock for me when I get home. What on earth is a seatbelt? Why would a child need a car seat? and who would pay 50 cents for a single banana? Will I be able to sleep int he silence? Friends won't consist of people I'm just spending time with for a year or even for a weekend? I can get from one major city to another without taking a flight or spending 9 hours in car....that is magnificent. I'm truly realizing how much life is about how you look at it. I hope you all open up your eyes to both see and experience our differences, because they are what make the world such an extraordinary and beautiful place.
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