Melanie Stoll May 18 blog: 100 days away from a ‘normal’ life

100 days until I’m back in the States.
In honor of this moment, with the help of our squad, my friend Nettie and I came up with 100 things that we have learned on the race or that have become normal to us.
1. Saying “take away” instead of “to go” at restaurants.
2. Claiming your married so the friendly bachelors will leave you alone.
3. Never wearing shoes into a room.
4. Holding a conversation with someone who doesnt understand English.
5. Starting a new life every month.
6. Hair ties become as multi-purpose as bailing twine.
7. Sweating.
8. Eating a good meal for $1.75.
9. Weighing the pros and cons of spending an extra $0.25.
10. Having eyes in the back of your head so your bag doesn’t get snatched.
11. Cold showers.
12. Sleeping on beds that feel like concrete.
13. Not knowing whats happening in America.
14. Becoming an expert packer.
15. Bowel movements is supper time talk.
16. Not showering for 2 weeks at a time.
17. Forgetting how to speak proper English
18. Living on $5.00 a day.
19. Thinking a $5.00 meal is extremely over priced.
20. Sweating.
21. Using squatty potties more often then not.
22. Carrying around personal toilet paper.
23. Feeling thankful to see a western toilet.
24. Feeling even more thankful if there’s toilet paper provided.
25. Chaco tanlines
26. Trading clothes with squad mates
27. Living out of a back pack
28. Wearing the same outfit 3 days in a row.
29. Not freaking out over lice in your hair.
30. Diareaha.
31. Sweat stains.
32. Learning to love people you don’t even know.

33. Never being alone
34. Resteraunts that don’t supply napkins.
35. Using baby powder in place of dry shampoo.
36. Using any and all forms of transportation.
37. Sleeping in weird places like, church pews, parking lots, under a train bench, or on top of luggage
38. Hand washing clothes
39. Being a teacher, a singer, a drama club, a laborer, a cook, all in one month.
40. Having to buy the plastic bags at grocery stores to carry your food home.
41. Taking your water bottle EVERYWHERE.
42. Time being irrelevant.
43. Still sweating.
44. Turning into a musican.
45. Picking up new habits and querks from your team mates.
46. Having 3 different currencies in your wallet at one time.
47. Always being in a different time zone than family.
48. The never ending jet lag.
49. Having your heart stolen daily by the local kids.
50. Learning hello and thank you in a new language every month.
51. Having to pay to use a public bathroom.
52. Learning what cankles are on travel days.
53. Realizing monkeys are not cute and they are actually little devils.
54. Using fabreeze as perfume.
55. Eating weird food.
56. Turning down photo requests with random strangers.
57. Bonding with other backpackers because you both understand the struggles, hardships, and desire for adventure.
58. Explaining what the World Race is.
59. Meeting people from all places of the earth.
60. Rules on what clothes you can or can’t wear.
61. Facetiming and being Ok with the 10 second delay.
62. Learning a new skill every month.
63. Sweating.
64. Calloused feet.
65. Talking about the clothes you left at home.
66. Bartering for food.
67. Adapting to new culters really fast.
68. Cramming as many people as possible in a taxi. (Our record is 11 in a 5 seater)
69. Public speaking with a translator.
70. Learning to know your team mates family and friends like they are your own, but they have no idea who you are.
71. Sweating.
72. Giving everything your best because sometimes thats all you have.
73. Using google translate to communicate.
74. Relizing google translate is not always accurate. (awkward.)
75. Learning to love micro-fiber shower towles.
76. Adventures in the rain.
77. Figuring out new currencies every month.
78. Sweating.
79. Bad Wi-Fi.
80. Giving people English names because you cant pronounce or remember their actual name.
81. Not wearing makeup or combing your hair everyday.
82. Waking up and realizing you love instant coffee.
83. Getting rid of as many things as possible every month to make your bag lighter, and not even feeling sad!
84. Celebrating when your bedroom has a window and AC.
85. Appreciating filtered water.
86. Loving and hating travel days at the same time.
87. Thinking a 6 hour travel time is a piece of cake.
88. Sharing your personal life through blogs.
89. Living on ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
90. Being excited when there is soap to wash your hands with.
91. Cockroaches and rats dont scare you anymore.
92. Sweating.
93. Dreaming of eating your favorite foods.
94. Stepping out of your comfort zone every single day.
95. Ordering random food on the menu because you cant read it and at this point anything is better then peanut butter and jelly.
96. Appreciating cold water.
97. Wanting to go home, but not being ready for the race to end.
98. Always expecting the unexpected.
99. Forgetting this life isn’t normal to other people.
100. Yep. Haven’t stopped sweating yet.