Enter a funny title here: _______________

You know you have been too long in Sri Lanka when…

• You realize that your toothpaste and breakfast taste the same.
• You know “initials” are not the first letters of your first and last name but the first letters of your 4-5 names before family name.
• You can’t even think of eating rice and curry with cutlery, because “it’s not the same taste”.
• You don’t mind anymore if there’s no toilet paper in the washroom.
• You call it a washroom instead of toilet.
• You look right when crossing the street.
• You find apples and oranges to be precious commodities while durian and rambutan are part of your daily diet.
• You refer to friends by calling them “Machang” instead of “dude”.
• You don’t make an exception with your female friends; they are simply “maching”.
• You don’t understand why you need a bed if you have a mattress.
• You scream and shout of happiness when telling your friends you had a chance to watch TV or take a hot shower.
• You think salami and cheese are gifts from heaven.
• You have forgotten how red wine tastes like.
• You think Wickramasinghe or Jayawardene are typical short last names.
• You feel good that you managed to haggle 50 rupees off from a trishaw ride.
• You use chili sauce and call it tomato sauce; you never say “ketchup” again.
• You start secretly wishing your parents would do the pre-screening of your future spouse.
• You think it’s a wonderful thing that a 30+ year old still lives home with his or her parents.
• You think twice before killing a bug; maybe it’s better to leave it be and it will go away eventually.
• You know “short eats” is not a children’s movie or an ancient measure.
• You start using the freezer compartment when you realize the fridge is broken.
• You put towels on the floor when you realize the freezer is broken.
• You can’t remember the time before instant coffee.
• You express your anger saying “What to do?”
• You express your consent with wiggling your head from side to side.
• You express your disagreement with wiggling your head from side to side.
• You express maybe by saying “sometimes”.
• You go to a five-star hotel with your company and prefer to have kiri bath and pol sambol instead of bacon and egg.
• You don’t wonder why random people just pop into your house occasionally.
• You want to go and save a cow that is stuck on a green field away from its natural habitat amidst the traffic.
• You go to work three hours late with clear conscience and say “it was raining”.
• You announce distance in minutes.
• You write a list of things that show when you have been too long in Sri Lanka

posted by Tomi Astikainen @ Friday, May 25, 2007