Its Just Not That Strange

One thing people tell you before you move overseas is you should take all you pictures in the first six weeks or so. In those first few weeks, everything is new, fresh, exciting. You look at burning trash and think, "Wow, that is so much easier than having a truck come collect it."

But after those few weeks are over you start to hate everything. Even the things that are better than back home seem just plain dumb. McDonald's delivers?? Well, that is just because people here are lazy or can't afford a car to drive there!!

At some point you settle in and you love some stuff and tolerate others. The problem for storytelling (and blogging) is that when you get settled in to those times of normalcy that the things that seemed so funny (or frustrating) before just seem normal. And no one takes a lot of pictures or relates a lot of stories about normal, everyday stuff.

Instead, things that were incredible are now commonplace:

• Four people on a motorcycle? HA! I saw six one time.
• A guy selling ice cream from a motorcycle? I saw one doing that from a bicycle.
• A kid unbuckled in the front seat? So ... I saw a one-year-old recently in the driver's lap.
• A guy driving his motorcycle and sending a text message? I saw a guy driving, texting, and lighting a cigarette.
• A person entering a bank wearing a face mask? Yawn.

Things that used to stand out just seem normal. Even tonight, we were 15 minutes from home and looking for a new gas tank (like you use for your gas grill). A guy said, "Hey, you live in so-and-so place. I was just through there at 6pm, why didn't you buy the gas off my truck then instead of carrying the tank here?"

At some point it occurred to me that a strange guy kind of far from our house recognized me and knew where I lived. And you know what? Its just not that strange anymore!