I’ve Been Here Too Long

I was recently reading a thread about living in India on one of boards that I frequent. The thread was a listing of ways to tell if you’ve been here too long. Let’s just say that I’m in trouble. So here are some of the highlights from that thread plus a few new ones of my own.

You know you've been in India too long when...

1. You start speaking in the passive voice. “I am thinking that you are correct.”
2. Instead of humming the new song by Madonna you’re singing the latest Bollywood hit about Neal and Nikki.
3. You know what vehicle is coming down the street by the sound of its horn.
4. You call your family back home and they don’t understand your English.
5. You start using the head bobble correctly. (BTW, if you hear rumors spread by Hubby that I’ve been doing this… they’re lies. Or something…)
6. You start to use Indian-English in actual conversations. "This is my Britisher friend from London."
7. You say, "yah yah" in conjunction with the head bobble. (Instead of the usual yeah or yes.)
8. You start arguing with the Tuk-Tuk driver over 10 Rupees.
9. You start thinking of how much things cost in terms of Rupees rather than dollars.
10. You swear you can see cockroaches even though you haven't. (I swear I hadn’t been drinking and it was crawling up the wall. I swear!)
11. You actually know a little something about cricket. (I am working very hard to get rid of this knowledge!)
12. You realize that when the electrician says that he’s going to arrive at 10:00 he actually means 2:00 in the afternoon.
13. You are no longer frustrated by the fact that nobody can tell time and just accept it as a natural course of Delhi life.
14. You find yourself eating with your hands regardless of what ethnicity of food you’re eating. (Fetuccini Alfredo tastes better when you use your fingers.)
15. You’re fine when you eat Indian food but rich American food suddenly gives you a severe case of Delhi Belly.
16. You get ready to board the plane to Delhi after your vacation and tell people that you’re going HOME.

Please feel free to share any others indicators that you think up. Starting a blog about living in Delhi is not an indicator! (I think...)