I'm Tall

As I was sweeping my floor this morning with a broom that in the U.S. would be considered a toy, but here is standard, I realized that I am definitely of above average height here. I notice this at other times as well. When I was dishes, I have to bend way over since my sink comes up to about mid-thigh.

I decided that today as I walked to language class, I would pay particular attention to see just how tall I am. Keep in mind that back home I am pretty much the definition of average height 5ft 8in. Everything is built for people my size. As I walked, I would spot someone in the distance that I was walking toward that was obviously taller than average. When I would get to them I would realize that they were roughly my size, some a little taller than me, some a little shorter. Now there are some tall people around here and they are not terribly uncommon. It is just that there are so many short people that everything is built to their size.

It has also recently become apparent that trees along the sidewalk are pruned for people about 5ft 5in. I always have to stoop over just a little when walking under one. There are also tents set up for fruit vendors on the street which I always have to duck to get under.

The most frustrating part of it is walking. A person who is a foot taller than the people walking in front of them covers much more ground per step and this giant of a person inevitably finds himself trapped behind what until now I have considered slow walkers, but now realize they just cannot cover as much ground. Until today, I felt like I must be the fastest walking person in Asia. I have even been walking down the street and thought that I needed to slow my pace because I was obviously moving at a different rate than everyone else. I feel like an idiot having not realized this sooner, but one realization at a time is apparently all my brain can comprehend.

It must be really frustrating to actually be tall. I mean, I fit in airplane seats, restaurant seating, standard doorways, mid-sized cars; most of the world is built to my specifications. I think of friends who are actually tall and wonder if this is a frustration to them or if they are used to it. It really is a small world.

? of the day for a one day all you can sweep pass to use my broom in my dorm of course. What is the most painful thing you have ever hit your head on. I once had a surveyor’s tripod that weighed probably 40 lbs with sharp metal feet hanging in a tool room. I bent down to pick something up and when I stood back up one of the sharp metal feet centered the top of my head. It hurt. It hurt a lot.