What's your life really like?

I hope that the blog has allowed you to see a little more clearly what our life is like here in East Asia. It's really hard to explain to people who have never been here and to really do it justice. Our friends, the Dickeys are currently in another Asian country adopting their 4th child and I have really enjoyed their email updates that include things about the adoption as well as the things they find different and surprising about a different country. So, I am inspired to write a little list of things that are different about my life here. Some differences in our life are welcomed while others are hard to adjust to. But that's true of any country. I am so used to many of these, but I am going to try and remember the things that surprised me when I first came here that I think you too would find interesting:

The light switches for the bathrooms are on the outside, not inside the bathroom
Traffic laws here are suggestions...NO ONE OBEYS THE TRAFFIC LAWS!
Selt belts are often not in cars and even if they are, you don't use them.
I have my milk delivered to my door every other day
but I have to drive about 30 mins to get bread that I like
People throw trash everywhere...there are street sweepers to clean the mess (everyone needs a job)
children wear split bottom pants are are trained to pee at the sound of a wistle.
We don't have heat or air
We have bars on our windows because....
crime is VERY different than in america. I am not scared for my physical safety but pick pocketing and theft is HUGE here!
a bottle of pepsi costs me 40 cents
a bunch of gerber daisies costs me 15 cents. (andy has no excuse not to buy me flowers)
the REQUIRED age of retirement here is 50 for women and 55 for men so...
kite flying, card playing and smoking cigarettes from HUGE water bongs are favorite past times for retired people. Grandparents care for the grandkids while the children work
I buy pork that has been killed hours before and is sometimes still steaming
imported Cheerios cost 12 dollars a box. we don't eat those
I have to make my own sour cream
We walk ALOT..to resturants, mini marts, market, school.
Everyone gets a two hour rest everyday and most people really take a nap during that time
most people in our generation here are only children
with those you have close relationships, it is polite to address them as sister, uncle, aunt, etc.
(I was really confused at first because all my friends here call all their cousins by sister.)
I call the man that often drives us places Uncle Qi (chee)
buildings aren't required to have elevators unless they have more than 7 floors. There are a lot of 7 floor apartment buildings. (we lived on the 6th floor last year)
98% of the population doesn't own a dryer and wouldn't know what it was if they saw it.
Most resturants are open air, with no doors, windows, etc (at least in our part of the country)
Housing is all made of concrete with plaster over it...no wood and dry wall
in order to attract customers stores will often have employees stand outside and clap really loudly-for hours
Everything I need for basic daily life is in walking distance of my house


well, hope you found that interesting.