You know you're an RVA Alumni if...
  • You find it hard to go to sleep without someone yelling "Lights Out" first.
  • You still own a hot plate.
  • You have been to more countries than states.
  • You expect the water in your taps to turn brown after a rain.
  • You experience a need for a Chai break every day at 10 a.m.
  • You can sing at least 3 national anthems.
  • You think all Indians come from India.
  • You are still trying to find a U.S. supplier of Chevda.
  • You know how to read a currency exchange table.
  • You have a sign made by Mugo.
  • You cannot ride in an airport shuttle without thinking it would be an awesome Matatu.
  • You find yourself estimating the weight of the ivory on the elephants in nature shows.
  • You answer the phone, "Hello, Kijabe 1."
  • You think direct dial is a new invention.
  • You are surprised people waste bird seed on the birds.
  • You instinctively put a novel in your pocket when going to church on the fist Sunday of the month.
  • You use steel trays to eat off at home.
  • You plan trips around where other alumni live.
  • You know the time difference between Chicago and Nairobi.
  • You know the area code of at least 3 countries, but not the next city.
  • You have siblings with passports from another country.
  • Your best friends live over 8,000 miles away.
  • Church seems boring without people wondering in and out.
  • You miss the chicken eggs in the offering.
  • Your parents dropped you off at school in a Landrover.
  • You know that Music Appreciation is a class, not a state of mind.
  • Black Cat is your favorite chewing gum.
  • The night seems empty without the sound of Tree Hyrax screaming.
  • You can not remember whose clothes you are wearing.
  • You can not go shopping without at least 40 other people going along.
  • You keep expecting the water to turn hot in the shower.
  • You keep expecting the hot water to run out while you are in the shower.
  • You still yell 'Flushing' every time you go to the choo.
  • You keep looking for a guy roasting corn while shopping in the mall.
  • You only call your parents twice a year.
  • Your family lives on more than one continent.
  • You have a house decorated with the skins of endangered species.
  • You know what a Cholera shot feels like.
  • Miss Winterberg was your English teacher.
  • You watch Africa movies just to hear Kiswahili.
  • You have been to most of the places used for scenery in Africa movies.
  • You think of termites/flying ants as a food group.
  • You keep looking for a good curry and rice restaurant.
  • You can not figure out why the speed limit is so low when there is so much pavement!
  • All travel is measured in hours or days instead of miles/kilometers.
  • You find yourself addressing people as Bwana.
  • You fly at least two national flags at your house.
  • You planted a Jacaranda tree in your yard.
  • You prefer hot mustard on everything and make your own.
  • You had a bus driver named Salomon.
  • You can not figure out why they sell so many types of dry cereal.
  • You keep looking for OMO at the grocery store.
  • You own a laundry bag and wash cloths only once a week.
  • You can read a flight schedule better than a bus schedule.
  • You can estimate the weight of a suitcase within two pounds
  • You prefer your sugar in 7 foot stalks.
  • You sift your flour before baking anything.
  • You check for pinching ants before sitting down.
  • You know how to hot-wire a piki.
  • You wish you could teach football players how to tackle.
  • You can find your way around Senior Store in the dark.
  • You cannot get used to more than 12 hours of daylight.
  • You keep a bottle of Bitters in the house, but don't drink.
  • You know what Marmite is.
  • You know Titchie Swat is not child abuse.
  • You have flown on the national airlines of countries that most people cannot find on a map.
  • You feel a $1.50/gallon for gas is cheap.
  • You never assume that a gas station will have gas for sale.
  • "Out of Africa" is one of your favorite movies.
  • You keep your passport current; just in case.
  • Most of your memories are of Africa.
  • You feel uniforms are a good idea.
  • You own a shortwave radio.
  • You have seen every Disney movie.
  • You have seen "Tora, Tora, Tora" at least 3 times.
  • You know what a Fizzy is.
  • You get homesick about every three months.
  • You understand more of a Kikuyu hymn than a Rap song.
  • You hear a bell ringing and assume it must be 5 p.m.
  • Valleys less than 2,000 feet deep and 30 miles wide fail to impress you.
  • You think camping means you sleep in a tent.
  • You prefer countries with only two seasons: wet and dry.
  • Senior Banquet was more work than picking out the right dress.
  • You know the lines on a map don't necessarily represent a road.
  • You feel free to drop in on people that you have not seen for years.
  • You only feel comfortable sleeping on a foam mattress.
  • You do most of your shopping at the 7-11.
  • You have painted a Mercedes bus.
  • You watch the weather channel for the international forecast.
  • People who speak less than 5 languages fail to impress you.
  • You think all RR tracks should have a path beside them.
  • You know all the answers to the National Geographic quizzes.
  • You know what a real chameleon looks like.
  • You drive on dirt roads just for the fun of it.
  • You think the money is fake because it does not have the Presidents picture on it.
  • You drive a stick shift because that's what you learned on.
  • You prefer your eggs cold.
  • Lines of less than 40 people seem short to you.
  • You only shop on Fridays.
  • You have read every Wilbur Smith book.
  • You plan your vacations around April, December and August.
  • You can convert 160 kilometers per hour to 100 mph without thinking.
  • You pass on the shoulder. That's what it is for!
  • You wonder why the British don't run the exhaust on their trucks up behind the cab.
  • You miss the smell of fresh diesel in the morning.
  • You miss the donkeys on the highway.
  • You find staying in our own lane boring.
  • You wonder when they started giving the police cars.
  • You drove for years without a license.
  • You had your first car accident at age 12.
  • You miss playing chicken over a single lane of pavement.
  • You stay out of lakes because they may have bilharzias.
  • Any car less than 10 years old seems new to you.
  • You purchase maps of Africa just to find the mistakes.
  • You have hopped trains, but are not a hobo.
  • Your mouth waters when anyone says samosa.
  • You like your house quite between 8 and 9 p.m.
  • You find American stamps boring.
  • You know the difference between a Cape and a Water Buffalo.
  • You know that tigers do not live in Africa.
  • You spent a lot of time around the ruby field but never played organized sports.
  • You know your way around senior store but never sold anything.
  • You spent a lot of time around the baptismal pool but never saw anyone baptized.
  • You start a lot of sentences with, "In Africa, we..."
  • You know what year President Roosevelt took his African safari.
  • You feel more at home in London than Miami.
  • You know Australian rugby is not really rugby.
  • Mountains under 16,000 feet fail to impress you.
  • You have no family to visit on holidays.
  • You did not meet your grandmother until you were four.
  • You drive by large fields and still look for zebra.
  • You had a wild animal as a pet.
  • You look for leopards when walking at night.
  • You own a pair of Bata Safari Boots.
  • You own a pair of tire shoes.
 Rev. 11 October 2006