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

In no particular order this is a list of some of the things I’ve gotten most used to about living in India- this list could be significantly longer but these are some that stuck out the most.

1. Paying 40 rupees instead of 30 for a rickshaw ride is completely unacceptable- the equivalent of about 75 cents vs 60 cents
2. You don’t even bother to look to see if there is a seatbelt when getting into a car
3. You know the bus is never full, people can be packed in like sardines but there is always room for one more
4. You intentionally dehydrate yourself when traveling, be it by bus, car, train or even rickshaw- it’s just not worth having to go to the bathroom
5. You realize you don’t know where the forks or knives are kept in the house you have been living in for months.
6. Even when you have silverware, you still use your finger to help your food along
7. You covet small change, and are always looking for an opportunity to get more
8. You expect everything to start at a minimum of 15 minutes late
9. An uninterrupted or fully paved sidewalk warrants extreme praise
10. You start converting US prices into Rupees- an are rather horrified at how expensive everything is
11. You eat humus like chapatti and baghi (flat bread and vegetables that is a Maharashtra staple)
12. Dall and chippati or rice is now your ‘comfort food’
13. You no longer notice the cows that are all over the place
14. You are known by name at the ice cream or street food venders you frequent and they know what you like to order
15. You expect shops to be closed on Mondays, from about 1-3 for lunch and are not to surprised if you get to a shop and find out its closed for a holiday
16. Wearing jeans and a modest t-shirt feels scandalous
17. You recognize hit Bollywood songs
18. Once the weather is in the 50s, its cold
19. You look right first when crossing the road
20. You get excited about outlets that are on the ground rather than midway up the wall

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