You know you've been in the ME for a while when...

This year marks our second anniversary in this country (time really flies!). In fact S’s is just around these days while my second anniversary will be in September. We still love it (and that's why we are still here) but of course such a milestone calls for some reflection... Here we go...

You know you’ve been an expat in the Middle East for a while when:

• You don’t feel there’s a lot to blog about any more as you get used to the daily oddities
  
• You think it’s normal to have goats wandering freely around the outer perimeter of your house (outside your tent or anywhere in fact), cats serenading you when sitting outside at restaurants and dogs chasing you on a fitness run.
  
• You think you are getting the best service in the world if you didn’t have to explain your order at least twice at a restaurant or bar and your waiter delivers exactly what you asked for first time around
  
• You are disdained if there is nobody to pack your shopping at the supermarket till but you re-pack everything from 10 to 1 single carrier bag when they are there to assist
  
• You open the paper & jump straight to the photo pages at the back to see if you or anyone you know is pictured there
  
• You know exactly what a Bebsi is
  
• You are surprised if you call for assistance to fix the AC and only one man turns up with all the required tools; additionally you feel the urge to call one of your friends to boast about it if they actually fix it successfully at the first call.
  
• InshaAllah is your daily mantra
  
• You don’t think much of it when a lorry overtakes you on the motorway and you are travelling at 120 kmph or when you see one just overturned on the side of the road with all its contents scattered around
  
• You get used to brushing your teeth in hot water during the summer
  
• You are completely taken off foot if a service man arrives exactly at the time he stated
  
• You keep a stock of 300 spare light bulbs in the house
  
• You get all your towels ready around the house and tape up windows & doors if the forecast predicts some rain
  
• You get really excited about a new supermarket/shop/bar opening in town: when the “opening or coming soon banner” comes up you normally estimate between a couple of trimesters to a couple of years to the official launch.
  
• You wait for an official public announcement to know if you are going to be off on an expected public holiday and to find out exactly whether it’s going to be in 2 or 3 days’ time & how long for.
  
• You think it’s perfectly normal to be sent home early because it’s a rainy day or to be granted a day off in case of rain forecast

 This could go on indefinitely…..