There aren't many rules in the developing world. Probably one of the reasons I like it so much. But there are a few.
1. don't drink the water. I never struggle to remember the drinking part. But it does always escape me when brushing my teeth. In Guatemala I just told myself this was 'building the immunity system.' Someone recently freaked out on me about this so I decided to try to be better this time. Nope, not working... some habits die hard when there is a tap and a sink right in front of you.
2. take your shoes off before entering the building. This one is unique to Asia. I still haven't gotten used to this to be honest. Walking around at 'work' today barefoot felt ridiculous (and dusty). But, when in Rome...
3. there always seems to be one and only one rule to the road in these places.... if it's bigger than you, get out of the way. I had probably way too much fun today getting around this town on a bicycle amongst the motorbikes and cars and tuk tuks and just about anything else you can think of. It's comical to watch and even more comical to be in the middle of. I was thankful for all those years ago in Chicago when my former sidekick taught me this very crucial lesson about navigating traffic when you are on a bike (to be honest, it was more like a lecture, as I was going so slow he lost me): just like in life, if you second guess yourself or hesitate you're much more likely to get runover. The only way to ride a bike in traffic is to ride it as if you have a pair. (Sorry, but I think that is a direct quote from this person... and Mom, calm down, this is a small town - no one is going that fast, and I was wearing my seat belt I swear. It's way too hot to walk.)
No comments:
Post a Comment