1. I am a gringa. I am tall (yes, 5’4” me is tall!) and rubia (blond). People will stare, whistle and/or make comments. This reaction is not limited to men. A 4” tall old woman peeked out from under her giant hat to stare and exclaim “Ooo gringas!” with a huge smile while a group of us were walking home from class the other day.
2. While driving a taxi or combi, staying in your lane or slowing down while passing pedestrians in the street (there are no sidewalks) is for the weak. Honking at everything that moves, however, somehow makes up for that. Don’t question it.
3. Hot water is for drinking (I can’t drink anything that hasn’t been boiled), while cold tap water is for bathing. I’m not sure I will ever adjust to the latter—instead I think I will just wash my hair less and less… brrrr!
4. Toilet paper does not, in fact, go in the toilet. The plumbing system here can’t handle it. I’m not sure what impact that has on the environment, positive or negative—there’s more garbage, but less contamination in the water… anyone know?
5. 22 years old is not too old to play musical chairs for chocolate (especially if it’s a Sublime bar… chocolate and peanuts mmmm). My Spanish classes are the most fun so far, mostly because we play a lot of games. My manos de mantequilla (butterfingers!) don’t always help me to win them, but it’s still a good time.
6. Stray dogs can be adorable until they chase after you barking and snarling. I’ve been told it’s better to turn and yell at them than to run, but I have yet to test this.
7. Before bed, I brush my teeth, wash my face, and wash my… feet. Everything is so dry/dusty here that my Chacos are already a little less black, so you can imagine what my feet look like when I get home!
8. I got stung by a bee at the center on Friday (stupid abeja), and my host mom and brother independently told me that this was a good cure for the cough I’ve had for the past week. I’m still coughing--apparently it takes time. Interesting.
9. Fun > Caution. Babies will not necessarily die if they play with butcher knives in the market or electrical outlets (cringe). And at a dance competition, I got to witness a torro loco—a crazy bull, or a guy running around wearing a giant papier-mâché bull costume/hat, out of which shot sparklers and fireworks. I was too worried about him imminent demise to think to snap a photo. ¡Mucho fuego! Miraculously, he did not catch fire and die. Apparently el torro loco is a popular appearance at big parties, so people tend to wear old clothes because it’s easy to get singed.
10. Language barrier. Confusion is my new default. Sometimes training sessions are a little disorganized—the schedule changes a lot and directions aren’t always clear. But even more confusing is the part where, believe it or not, everyone speaks Spanish here! ¿Qué!?! :)
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