If you don't watch Friends, this next part won't make any sense, or be funny to you at all. Do you remember the episode when Rachel goes jogging with Phoebe? Well basically, Tricia and I just ran around our city block like that. I also yelled "Parkour" at everyone, and jumped off of curbs, around telephone booths and almost jumped over a stone lion statue.
Its ridiculous how uncensored we feel here. I know its a bad habit to pick up, and most likely a few people can understand us but overall, we just say whatever we want. When we walk to the gym, or to Carrefour for groceries we talk about stuff we normally wouldn't in public, and we do it very loudly. That's our thing though. We're Those Loud Americans. Its cool because we're already very noticeable so now its like they're noticing our spirit and rambunctious laughter... instead of our white-ness.
But seriously, its easy to forget that people might understand us. Sometimes I feel like I'm in an ocean with a big bubble around me and all noises I make are absorbed into the water, or dissipated by the waves. Its hard to remember what its like to be in a sea of people that understand everything you say, and our sensitivity definitely lessens the longer we're here.
I hope this is one of those chart examples where there's a peak, then a huge drop off back into the normal range. I also put us in that category for when guests and staff stop telling us how beautiful we are.
Have I explained my theory of charts and their relation to my life?
There's the one I've said for a while based on my relative normal state of being and my emotional response with any variance from that norm. Basically, anything above or below that line of regular run-of-the-mill feelings is for me to cry. I cry when I'm happy, I cry when I'm sad, frustrated, angry, overjoyed, flattered...its amazing I have any other emotions at all considering how drained I could be. I try to stay at the homeostasis of unexceptional emotion, and not have the water works act up, but sometimes it just gets me!
There are others but maybe I'll just make picture charts instead.
People at work ask me what I do for my free time, and it makes me realize...the answer is rather pitiful. We go home, sometimes go grocery shopping or out to eat dinner, then we scurry back to the apartment to skype whomever is available. Or sleep. I hate to admit the number of hours I sleep here...some would say I'm wasting my precious time here...buut its overall better for me, right? After adjusting to a new schedule, blah blah blah, getting a routine set of course we aren't going out and exploring 24/7. At least that's how I like to justify it. I hope we do eventually get to the point where exploring everyday is the norm, and its unacceptable to sit at home every night. We'll make it to parks, the shore or beaches and probably find other cafes and restaurants to enjoy farther out from home...eventually anyway. Its been five weeks. Give me about two more and by then we'll have really settled in and found our groove for exploring.
For now though, going to be before 10 is imperative, and I can hear my down comforter and wooden pallet calling my name. (No but seriously, my bed is about as soft as packing crates in an Amazon warehouse, plus a sheet.)
I can successfully ask someone if they are done with their plate, understand if they need a napkin or a spoon and name most of the cutlery in they pantry, in Chinese.
Also, today when I asked a customer if he'd like something to drink and he replied, "Something something, blah, cheu-something", I replied cheerfully, "Orange juice it is!" That's gonna be my 'go to' from now on.
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