You know you live in the Middle East when...

…men (and women) walking around town with automatic weapons no longer fazes you…

…camels, donkeys, goats, sheep, and stray dogs and cats roaming the streets are daily sights…

…you read into every facial expression, gesture, and non-verbal because you realize the people around you most positively know what you’re thinking just by watching your expressions and behavior…

…you wear 3 sweaters, a down coat, gloves, a scarf and a hat, 3 pairs of socks and slippers, and that’s just sitting in your living room (in the winter of course, summertime is another story)…

…when it rains, you walk precariously around puddles in the street, trying to avoid stepping in water at all costs, because you’re just not sure how to handle rain anymore…

…you’re addicted to Nescafe…

…you’ve learned to sleep through the early morning call to prayer that goes out from every mosque in the city but the ringing of the church bells still wakes you every time…

…a meal just isn’t complete without a cup of tea at the end…

…you’re having an English conversation and the only word you can think of to describe what you’re trying to say is an Arabic word and you just can’t figure out how to express yourself in English anymore…

…in fact, most English conversations are sprinkled with Arabic words and expressions anyway…

…you wear dresses over your jeans (although I am told this has caught on in the States too)…

…hearing Arabic music in a taxi never gets old…

…you speak of going to Beirut or Jerusalem like it’s no different than walking down the street to a friend’s house…

…you crave things like zucchini mashy and falafel sandwiches…

…and my favorite…you talk about Arabs and use the pronoun “we” until someone points out that you are not, in fact, Arab by birth.