Sunsets are beautiful no matter where you go! I've been lucky enough to see some breathtaking sunsets all over the world. There's just something magical about them. The amazing colors, the last hoorah for the sun before it disappears for the day, the universal nature of it... Where one sun is setting another sun is rising. I don't know, there's something about watching a sunset that makes you feel right at home! You've traveled thousands of miles to end up exactly where you belong.
Hot showers are always amazing no matter where you go! You can be tired and wearisome and boom there's a warm shower to get you going! They bring all-around comfort! It's easy to take for granted the fact that I get a warm shower every day. It's the little things in life!
Okay. That's for sticking with me. Moving on...
Living here is very similar to being at home. I'm a student at the vet school. I hang out with friends. I ooh and aww over cute animals. It's all in a days work! Yet there are some differences. Obvious differences such as the language barrier and also less obvious differences like how it is more laid back here! People are not so stressed and pressed to follow a schedule. Don't get me wrong, it's nowhere close to African time, but it is way more pleasant than my usual routine at home. I've jotted down a few differences just to give you some details!
- When you greet people you kiss them on the cheek. (Actually people are a lot more touchy feely here. It's really nice. I can see how an outsider would think we are cold towards each other in America.)
- You can’t flush the toilet paper. You must throw it away.
- Most houses don't have heat. It doesn't get that cold here so I can see why it isn't necessary. But there have been a few nights where I am happy to get into bed and bundle up.
- While we are talking about houses, houses here are very open! I love it! You open windows and doors and you have all the fresh air you could want. It's pretty cool. Also, most houses don't have carpet. The best part is houses are so colorful and unique!
- There are soooooo many soap operas on tv!
- Quite a few street dogs! Many of them adopt an area and the people there feed them. In our neighborhood we have several dogs. Cola is my favorite! He walks Vivian to the bus stop everyday. Too cute! Spaying and neutering is not popular here. From what I've seen, most animals are not fixed!
- Public Transportation- yep, It actually exists here! It is so easy to catch a bus! (Okay, well maybe not SOOO easy for us because we are still learning the bus system and the bus times.) You do not NEED a car. In the US it’s so different. You can’t really function without a car outside of major cities. I think this is very unfortunate.
- You don't see many big vehicles, mainly small cars!
- There are many Cobble stone streets. They are very pretty and I think it's unfortunate that the US got rid of most of theirs. The downside is you can't drive quite as fast on them.
- You see the occasional horse and carriage around. They are used to haul stuff such as trash. The horses are often skinny. :(
- Cash. Yep, I’m carrying cash again. At home I survive on a simple piece of plastic.
- Students don't pay for university here. Gosh, that must be nice! They do make up for it with really high taxes. My friends are graduating from vet school soon and they will have no debt. NO DEBT! That's awesome!
- TRAFFIC! The traffic is horrible here. Over the past several years more people have bought cars and now there are more cars than the roads can handle. The city has already developed plans to expand the roads. But for now, people have incredible patience to deal with the traffic! It takes me around 30-45minutes to get to school in the morning mainly because of traffic.
Food differences….. Man oh man
where to start. The food here is
delicious!
- Fresh Juice It’s delicious! Throw fruit into the blender, add some sugar, and enjoy! You eat juice with pretty much every meal.
- Lots of rice and beans (which is pretty much what I also live on at home)
- Carne, carne, and more carne…. Really, a meal isn’t a meal without meat.
- Manacá- Deliciousness! It is a root that is eaten very often. There are so many ways to prepare it! I can kind of compare it to corn and how it's everywhere in the US.
- Lettuce is served with every meal. I love it. Chop it up and eat it with your rice and beans.
- Polenta- Cornmeal that is fried. It has italian origin.
- Doce de leite is very popular and used in many sweets!
- All of the milk is Ultra High Temperature (UHT) meaning it is pasteurized so that it doesn't need refrigeration until opened.
Ate logo!
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