A Few Quirks

There are some things here that just make me laugh because my reactions are so ingrained by society, and I didn't notice the strange things around me or that I do until the behaviors are not the norm of the people around you.

1. Tight, Decorated Pants. As we know back home, this is a normal thing for women who are going out or maybe trying to look good on the weekend. The more stitching and design, usually the more designer and expensive. They are tight and showy, and we think that they look good...and so do the men here :) So most of the women in their day to day life either wear saris or loose fitting suits (Pant and long shirt sets) and it is the men who wear tighter pants. It cracks me up! It is not everyone, but many of the men that I drive by in the mornings on my way to work have bum-hugging designed jeans and they are so skinny that their belts wrap one and a half times around them. As promised, when I finally get around to it, a picture will be posted.

2. No Bless You. I didn't realize how ingrained in the American culture that when someone sneezes, at least one person yells out "Bless You" or it's considered rude. So of course the first week of being in the office, I loudly said bless you, and no one else responded. I totally called myself out saying, "oh, you guys don't say that here, huh?" They tried to make me feel better by saying that they do sometimes, but since then, every time I sneeze no one blesses me.

3. Being Called Ma'am. I don't know if I am ever going to get used to this one. It is like, "Good Morning Ma'am. How are you doing Ma'am. Sure Ma'am. That's 40 rupees ma'am." and so on. I just want to say, "Just call me Quinnen!" But I think that would be rude. It makes me feel a mixture between being and old lady, but mostly awkward like I have some superior status.

4. No longer thinking that 89 degrees is hot. My AC has been broken for the last week or so, but luckily as everyone has been telling me, "It hasn't been hot recently." I agree, only sweating a little bit in comparison to when I first got here. It was 93 degrees today.

5. Touching Water and Beer before it is served. One thing that I was warned about was to check the seal on water before drinking it. I knew to look for that, but when I ordered a bottle of water at a table and they presented it to me like a bottle of wine, I didn't know what to do. I nodded, and then Alison quickly reached out her hand and touched it. She explained that I have to touch it and tell them that it is acceptably cold before they will pour it.

6. Testing out appliances before buying. Similarly, when buying an appliance at a store or market, everyone opens everything, removes it from its packaging and presents it to you for your inspection. They plug it in and show that it works and allow you to quickly turn it away, only to have to pack everything up all over again before the next customer. I just take for granted the trust that we have for our stores in America.