Truth: See "Stranger Than"

You Know You've Lived in the Middle East Too Long When . . .

You're not surprised to see a goat in the passenger seat . . .
It wouldn't suprise me at all. Or chickens, or a side of lamb.

You think the uncut version of "Little House on the Prairie" is provocative . . .
It is. YOU CAN SEE WOMEN'S HAIR!

You expect the confirmation on your airline ticket to read "insha'allah" . . .
"God Willing." I'm still taken back when an otherwise secular Egyptian says this in normal conversation. It's just flat-out hilarious when foreigners says it.

You don't expect to eat dinner before 10:30 p.m . . .
I do sometimes, but then I always feel like I have to eat again after 10:30.

You know whether or not you are within missile range of Iraq . . .
I'm not.

You think Pepsi begins with a "B" . . .
The "p" is pronounced "b" in Arabic. Say "Bebsy." Interestingly enough, Bebsy is really taking it to Kooka-Koola here.

You think water only comes in bottles.
It does come out of the tap, but the de facto standard is a bottle. Did you know water in a bottle can get old?

You think that a box of kleenex belongs on every dinner table . . .
Kleenex, or its local equivalent "Flora," is the all purpose whipe, from foreheads to dashboards. I've seen ornate gold and red tissue box holders in the front of decrepit taxis.

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Want to cry about traffic? Dry your eyes with a kleenex, drink your Bebsy and hang on to your rack of lamb. We'll get there soon, insha'allah.

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Thanks L for the list.