Sunday, August 2, 2009

I'm going, going, back, back to Cali, Cali

I'm coming home!! Well for 2 weeks anyway. For all of you that I will be unable to see while I'm there, I'm sorry! But feel free to write me an email and I'll call you from where ever I am. For those of you I will see, there are a few Malian habits I have acquired which will be hard for me to shake in my limited time in Ameriki. And, that my friends, is an example of the first, Mali-yfing words and phrases. Other weird habits include, but are not limited to, the following:
Using only my right hand for everything from shaking (normal in the US) to almost dropping everything to switch money to my right hand to give to a merchant (not normal in the US)
Eating with my hands and generally lacking table manners
Making very childish jokes about bodily functions (Farts, burps, that's what she said jokes)
Eating in small portions
Cringing at wasted food
Littering
Being a bad dancer (only because I've been in Africa, I swear)
Not wearing makeup or looking at myself in mirrors
Going to bed at 9pm (hard to stay up late without lights)
Getting sick from eating dairy products or meat
Saying "Uh-huh" every 3rd word (how else would you know I'm still listening?)
Forgetting words in English
Avoiding eye contact during conversation
Holding hands for longer than is comfortable or culturally appropriate
Miss matching clothes, or just having bad fashion tastes in general
Also I'm sure I'm going to be pretty awkward in general. I'm really excited to see you all, but try not to make fun of me too much! I will try not to be too weird, promise.