

Not just typical. It should be celebrated. I for one throughly enjoy seeing cross cultural exchanges of any creative type. Exotic doesn’t need to be derogatory or dehumanizing. (it’s really unfortunate that it most often is.) Everybody is exotic somewhere.
I’ve always just wiped the squeaky hinges down with petroleum jelly because it’s what was immediately on hand. I don’t bother wiping away too much of the extra closest to the moving bits. It works its way into the hinges well enough. It doesn’t smell. I’ve yet to have to re-apply to any hinge, even years later.