new aspects of my life

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here are some strange things that i now encounter everyday:

*because of the crazy high humidity (about 92% everyday), my clothes and shoes have started to grow mold. the pictures on my fridge have begun to mold also.
*when i do dishes at night and set them in the drying rack, they are still wet in the morning because the air is so moist. all our silverware and knives have already rusted out.
*my towels never dry
*there are geckos constantly climbing all over the walls and windows in my house, and i have come to love them because they are cute and eat the bugs. i just wish they would help with the rent.
*coral is sharp and hurts a lot when it digs into your skin when you're snorkeling
*i have gotten used to living without hot water. we use cold water for everything, even taking showers and washing dishes. in fact, the whole island seems to follow this trend, and only when you go into nice restaurants do you get the luxury of using warm water to wash your hands in the bathroom.
*the water we use at the house is filtered out of the ocean. mmm...salty.
*there is an obscene dog problem on this island, and i threaten to run at least one over everyday, although i could never actually do it. they are everywhere and especially like to take naps in the middle of the road.
*i eat at least 2 tangerines from the tree in our front yard everyday
*i get to drink my coffee looking out over the pacific every morning
*sushi has become a basic food group and i eat it at least twice a week
*i will usually choose chopsticks over a fork
*we own a rice cooker but not a microwave
*the movie station is a place where you can rent 6 new releases for 7 dollars, and you get to keep them for 10 days
*going to the movie theater is the coldest place on island, so when it is crazy hot, everyone goes and catches a movie.
*i have started to pick up on a few cultural norms, such as raising my eyebrows as a way to agree, say hello, or answer a question instead of speak
*it's as though no one here has ever seen blue eyes before. they are absolutely fascinated
*a jug of orange juice is $10, concentrate is $6
*there are no janitors at my school, so the teachers clean the classrooms. when teachers get mad at the students, instead of teaching them, they make them clean. that does not happen in my room.
*i only have one white student out of 180
*my kids love to dance, sing, and play instruments (and they are remarkable at all three)
*less than half of the teachers at my school are actual highly qualified teachers (aka pass the praxis in their content area). the rest are just pretending
*the textbooks the school has suck, so i am pretty much making it up as i go=alot of work for miss sally
*i like to get to school two hours before my first class starts in the morning to have enough to prep, while other teachers get to school just in time to unlock the door in order to let the students into the classroom after the last bell has already rung.
*there are no subs at my school, so if a teacher is out and it's your prep period, you have to sub instead of have prep for that day. i have already subbed 11 times in the past 7.5 weeks. not cool.

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Comments

[sister]

ummm
Holy canoli sister, you are c-rockn-razy:) i miss you and am really pumped to come get my clothes moldy and eat sushi! ( i looked at some today but ididnt know what kind to get so i didnt...) loves toots bye

[ring leader]

You are...
awesome. I can't believe how quickly you have adapted into your surroundings. I remember you taking 45 minute, HOT showers. :-)