I Never...

Just to give you a glimpse into the minds and lives of my kids, I thought I would share a list of things that at one point were totally foreign to them. Hopefully it will demonstrate just how different my children's perspective is on life, having grown up outside the U.S. culture.

(Some of these things I am copying off a different internet forum I share with other international moms.)

I never pumped my own gas
I never used the self-check out

I never bought clean eggs without feathers and "stuff" on them
I never had to pay for a grocery cart
I never had to choose between "paper" and "plastic"
I never had a library card

I never went to a baseball game ... bowling ... ice skating
I never watched live TV
I never saw the Olympics except on video tape
I never flushed toilet paper
I never separated garbage into recycle bins, except burnable and non-burnable categories
I never saw anyone write a check
I never heard of a wii
I never saw a fire truck or snow plow
I never spent more than two consecutive days without sunshine
I never had heating or air conditioning in our house
I never experienced changing seasons except wet and dry
I never lived where there wasn't cheap public transportation
I never left home without toilet paper in my pocket and a water bottle
I never ate a pop tart
I never thought anything of killing thirty flies before setting the table
I never drank water from the tap
I never rode on an escalator
I never played American football ... golf ... tennis ... any organized sport
I never knew anyone who went to ballet, swim lessons, art class, tae kwon do
I never mowed the lawn
I never shoveled snow from a driveway
I've never not had a passport
I never used a dishwasher ... garbage disposal ... vacuum cleaner ... garage door opener ... electric can opener
I never had a pay job (no work visa)
I never ate raw vegetables without carefully cleaning and soaking them first
I never saw a public drinking fountain
I never had a grocery store closer than a 45-minute drive away
I never experienced a cold Christmas, much less a white Christmas!
I never had a fireplace

I never used a clothes dryer
I never heard of people NOT being allowed to hang out laundry in their own backyards
I never knew policemen didn't expect a bribe
I never knew it was weird to carry rocks wherever you go so you could throw them at packs of mangy stray dogs
I never knew that toilets could flush themselves!
I never knew about automatic hand dryers in public restrooms
I never knew public restrooms provided toilet paper
I never had a boyfriend/ girlfriend
I never thought I was too old to play tag ... capture the flag ... ghost in the graveyard
I never wore makeup at age 12
I never worried about my hair
I never knew that longing for and identifying with the country I was raised in would be interpreted as "anti-American"
I never knew that questioning the way things are done in the States would be considered unpatriotic
I never knew that bike tires were supposed to last more than 48 hours before getting punctured by rocks, thorns, or cactus
I never knew that eye contact with strangers on the street was considered polite, and not a come-on (but how do you watch for doggy doo that way?)
I never knew it was impolite to engage strangers in conversation at restaurants, doctors' offices, and elevators -- greeting and leave-taking, wishing them good digestion
I never knew that in some countries stop signs are more than a friendly suggestion
I never knew the English measurements (non-metric), thus failing part of standardized tests
I never knew there were laws against disturbing the peace by hiring a band to play at an all-night outdoor party in a residential neighborhood
I never knew people might expect you to actually show up on time for an event
I never could say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem without a cheat sheet
I never knew the names of my "closest" relatives
I never met one or more of my first cousins
I never knew that people might live in houses at ground level without burglar bars over the windows and broken glass pop bottles or other security features on their fences or concrete walls
I never knew that red lights really mean you should stop, even after 7 PM
I never knew there were actually hidden cameras to snap photos of your license plate when you run red lights (ask me how I know now!)
I never knew that referring to a Hispanic in the US as "Mexican" is considered racist
I never knew you shouldn't kiss people on the cheek to greet them in American churches
I never knew the value of American coins
I never knew that Taco Bell was supposed to be Mexican food

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