This week's musings
I've been thinking a lot about all of the machines and gadgets that we have in the U.S. to "simplify our lives" and "save time" that aren't in general use here by the average person, like dishwashers, clothes dryers and microwaves, and I don't think they add to one's quality of life like the manufacturers would like you to think that they do. Even though the majority of people I encounter here spend a much larger fraction of each day accomplishing basic tasks (buying bread, taking the bus, preparing food from scratch) I think people here have a higher quality of life than the average person in the U.S. People are always singing and often smiling and laughing.
Consistency does not seem to be too big of a concern here. Maybe that's due to everybody's extreme flexibility. For example, when I buy the same brand of the same type of granola at the same store, it will have different ingredients in it depending on when I bought it. I see the same thing in the newspapers--they will often misspell names of foreigners, but not consistently, just once or twice in the article.
I am a literalist, and getting correct information here can be quite a challenge. For example, I needed to buy special paper and other office supplies to print up Christmas cards for the Methodist Foundation, so I asked several of my colleagues where was a "paper store" (they have a specific word for this type of store). They told me there was one just a few blocks away in the neighborhood. I asked if they would carry printer labels and envelopes, and I was told, "Oh yes, they have that." We went there, and they did have a few different types of paper, so I was able to buy the special paper, but they didn't have the right envelopes and never carry printer labels. Then today, I asked my colleagues where there was a paper store downtown. They told me the name of a store where the project has bought things in the past and gave me directions how to get there. When I arrived at the store with the name they mentioned, I saw a toy store. I asked the woman standing at the front "Is this a paper store?" and she said, "No, it's a toy store." (Doh!) I pointed to the sign and asked if that was the same store written on the sign, and she said yes. I was trying to figure out why my colleagues sent me to a toy store, and she finally said, "Oh, we have some paper in the back." I went to the back and saw a small area selling school supplies. They had the envelopes I needed, but not the paper, and they never carry printer labels. I asked them if they knew of a paper store downtown or a place where I could buy printer labels, and they mentioned a store around the corner. I got to that store, which was finally, officially, a paper store, and they had everything I needed. I think part of the problem is a language thing and part of it is working with people who are not accustomed to buying printer labels.
Something funny for me to see is postal workers taking the city buses to get to their delivery routes. In the U.S., almost every mail delivery person would have their own vehicle. I'm not sure if I don't like the system here better.
Now that the weather is really beginning to warm up, I'm seeing a lot of men airing their beer bellies. It's common to see men and boys walking around the neighborhoods (but not so much downtown) without shirts, but it's very funny to see men with their shirts pulled up just over their beer bellies, as if that particular part of their anatomy needed to breathe or something. I'm not sure why they don't just take their shirts off.
There are still a few cultural things I haven't gotten used to--and for these particular things, I'm not sure I ever will. I think these things are probably all related to class, too. One thing is having to put used toilet paper in a wastebasket in most places rather than flushing it down the toilet. The first place I ever encountered that concept was in the Republic of Georgia, and unfortunately, nobody told us about it until we'd clogged up their toilets several times. I'm not sure why the plumbing in many areas can handle solid waste but not paper. Maybe it's a density thing. Another thing I have a hard time adjusting to is rinsing used cups and glasses just with water before re-use by a different person. I'd occasionally seen that in the U.S., but here it's quite common. The final thing is spitting on the street.
Last week, I learned that I should be trying to move to a new apartment earlier than I was previously thinking--hopefully by the end of the year. Now that I've started to do research, it's abudantly clear why the majority of people live with their parents until they get married and sometimes after--absolute financial necessity. Regular, unfurnished apartments here come with nothing--empty rooms, bathroom(s) and built-in armoires for storage if you're lucky (there are no closets here). Most importantly, the kitchen is empty, so you have to provide your own refrigerator and stove in addition to a bed and any other furniture. I understand it's like that in other parts, if not most of, Latin America. As far as furnished apartments, there are a lot of "business" type short-term residences (often called apart-hotels) with prices that assume your company is paying for it. I inquired this morning about the monthly rate at the apart-hotel in my neighborhood, which I thought might be reasonable since it's not that close to downtown...more than US$1000/month! Sometimes you can find an individual, furnished apartment, but it's less common and significantly more expensive than an unfurnished one. If you are renting either a furnished or unfurnished apartment, you usually have to pay the condominium fee and a local tax on top of the rent, which can double the cost. I'm trying to put out the word to see if people in my extended network (i.e. my roommate's and coordinator's networks) know of any possibilities. Tonight I learned of a residence with several furnished, tiny rooms, and it sounded promising, so we'll see if I can get on the waiting list if it turns out to be suitable.
It's funny how when I used to read stories in the Bible, I was amazed at how the Israelites always forgot the amazing things God had done for them, but now I realize how much I do it in my own life. When I got the news about needing to move next month if possible, I began to panic. Slowly I remembered that God has brought me thus far and there's no point in panicking, because as a verse I read yesterday said, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23, NIV)
Consistency does not seem to be too big of a concern here. Maybe that's due to everybody's extreme flexibility. For example, when I buy the same brand of the same type of granola at the same store, it will have different ingredients in it depending on when I bought it. I see the same thing in the newspapers--they will often misspell names of foreigners, but not consistently, just once or twice in the article.
I am a literalist, and getting correct information here can be quite a challenge. For example, I needed to buy special paper and other office supplies to print up Christmas cards for the Methodist Foundation, so I asked several of my colleagues where was a "paper store" (they have a specific word for this type of store). They told me there was one just a few blocks away in the neighborhood. I asked if they would carry printer labels and envelopes, and I was told, "Oh yes, they have that." We went there, and they did have a few different types of paper, so I was able to buy the special paper, but they didn't have the right envelopes and never carry printer labels. Then today, I asked my colleagues where there was a paper store downtown. They told me the name of a store where the project has bought things in the past and gave me directions how to get there. When I arrived at the store with the name they mentioned, I saw a toy store. I asked the woman standing at the front "Is this a paper store?" and she said, "No, it's a toy store." (Doh!) I pointed to the sign and asked if that was the same store written on the sign, and she said yes. I was trying to figure out why my colleagues sent me to a toy store, and she finally said, "Oh, we have some paper in the back." I went to the back and saw a small area selling school supplies. They had the envelopes I needed, but not the paper, and they never carry printer labels. I asked them if they knew of a paper store downtown or a place where I could buy printer labels, and they mentioned a store around the corner. I got to that store, which was finally, officially, a paper store, and they had everything I needed. I think part of the problem is a language thing and part of it is working with people who are not accustomed to buying printer labels.
Something funny for me to see is postal workers taking the city buses to get to their delivery routes. In the U.S., almost every mail delivery person would have their own vehicle. I'm not sure if I don't like the system here better.
Now that the weather is really beginning to warm up, I'm seeing a lot of men airing their beer bellies. It's common to see men and boys walking around the neighborhoods (but not so much downtown) without shirts, but it's very funny to see men with their shirts pulled up just over their beer bellies, as if that particular part of their anatomy needed to breathe or something. I'm not sure why they don't just take their shirts off.
There are still a few cultural things I haven't gotten used to--and for these particular things, I'm not sure I ever will. I think these things are probably all related to class, too. One thing is having to put used toilet paper in a wastebasket in most places rather than flushing it down the toilet. The first place I ever encountered that concept was in the Republic of Georgia, and unfortunately, nobody told us about it until we'd clogged up their toilets several times. I'm not sure why the plumbing in many areas can handle solid waste but not paper. Maybe it's a density thing. Another thing I have a hard time adjusting to is rinsing used cups and glasses just with water before re-use by a different person. I'd occasionally seen that in the U.S., but here it's quite common. The final thing is spitting on the street.
Last week, I learned that I should be trying to move to a new apartment earlier than I was previously thinking--hopefully by the end of the year. Now that I've started to do research, it's abudantly clear why the majority of people live with their parents until they get married and sometimes after--absolute financial necessity. Regular, unfurnished apartments here come with nothing--empty rooms, bathroom(s) and built-in armoires for storage if you're lucky (there are no closets here). Most importantly, the kitchen is empty, so you have to provide your own refrigerator and stove in addition to a bed and any other furniture. I understand it's like that in other parts, if not most of, Latin America. As far as furnished apartments, there are a lot of "business" type short-term residences (often called apart-hotels) with prices that assume your company is paying for it. I inquired this morning about the monthly rate at the apart-hotel in my neighborhood, which I thought might be reasonable since it's not that close to downtown...more than US$1000/month! Sometimes you can find an individual, furnished apartment, but it's less common and significantly more expensive than an unfurnished one. If you are renting either a furnished or unfurnished apartment, you usually have to pay the condominium fee and a local tax on top of the rent, which can double the cost. I'm trying to put out the word to see if people in my extended network (i.e. my roommate's and coordinator's networks) know of any possibilities. Tonight I learned of a residence with several furnished, tiny rooms, and it sounded promising, so we'll see if I can get on the waiting list if it turns out to be suitable.
It's funny how when I used to read stories in the Bible, I was amazed at how the Israelites always forgot the amazing things God had done for them, but now I realize how much I do it in my own life. When I got the news about needing to move next month if possible, I began to panic. Slowly I remembered that God has brought me thus far and there's no point in panicking, because as a verse I read yesterday said, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful." (Hebrews 10:23, NIV)
posted by Christine Piggee at
7:23 PM
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