You know you've been in Ethiopia for a long time when...

1. It doesn’t surprise you to see a horse standing on the median in the middle of the road all by itself.
2. You don’t gasp or scream when you come within a ½ inch from hitting another vehicle (or even just nick their mirror with yours).
3. You don’t gasp or scream when you come within a ½ inch or less from hitting a person walking across the road or maybe even bump into them.
4. The word “ahmesugenalew” rolls off your tongue like it ain’t no thang. 
5. You question your coffee if it isn’t as black as the tunnels of the churches of Lalibela. 
6. When someone says something to you, you raise your eyebrows and give a little inhale as your response. 
7. You are a pro at squatting over a hole in a cement slab to do your duty. 
8. You can “Double Double, This This” with the best of ‘em at Kind Hearts!
9. You haggle with the shop owner over the price of a necklace- 30 birr vs. 40 birr and win!
10. You know that the goats on the side of the road with a hot pink stripe on them are ready for market.
11. You hardly realize that the kids playing with your arm hair have been doing so for the last 30 minutes.
12. Your table mate at dinner (MMM) says he wants to sponsor the waitress because she’s cute.
13. You immediately sanitize your hands after handling money.
14. You start saying, “sprechen Sie Deutch?” so the peddlers will stop trying to sell you stuff. 
15. You see a goat being slaughtered and instead of being grossed out, you’re excited that the kids get to eat such an amazing meal. 
16. The van you’re riding in is frequently driving head on with another vehicle, but you never crash.
17. After you’re done doing your duty, without giving it a second thought, you throw away your toilet paper in the trash can instead of flushing it because “that’s just how it is with Ethiopian plumbing.”
18. You realize when you are home that some of these things, crazy as they are, are very near and dear to your heart and you wouldn't exchange the experience for anything!