Michelle and I have been on this island for two and a half months and there are a few ‘local’ things that I’ve caught myself doing or saying that make me feel like I might actually belong here.
Tossing cool sea shells back in the water
Not thinking twice about bike rust
Recognizing silhouettes of people over a block away (on a bike no less)
Not thinking of Saturday as the weekend (we go Tues-Sat to stay with the states)
Regularly asking when high/low tide is that day
We are less white and pasty
Knowing the weird hours of the local stores
Going days without internet does not phase me (or randomly losing access)
The taste of salt water doesn’t phase me
Creativity reigns at the dining hall
I recognize a good chunk of the reef
Getting rained on has lost its novelty (the dry season is ending)
The number of showers in a day are no longer counted
Last names are beginning to roll of the tongue
The huge amount of access #’s and passwords are actually memorized
I know the daily flight schedule
Subconsciously looking for new stuff after the barge comes in
Instead of getting anxious about seeing sharks, I get excited
I’ve said ‘Welcome to Kwaj’ to numerous new arrivals (and I can’t get over how pasty white they are)
I’m even finding time for some crafts
How far we’ve come!