Things To Get Used To

The Metric System

Here, as in every other country besides the United States, the metric system is used.  It’s like I have little to no bearing on how far distances are, or how warm or cool it is outside.  People say that something is so far away, or that the temperature is this or that, and it means almost nothing to me.  I’d never realized how grounded I was in my use of Fahrenheit , gallons, or miles. 

Hokey Pokey Showers

This is the term I’ve adopted to describe the way that I now bathe.  You put your left arm in, you take your left arm out (and soap it up), you put your left arm in (to rinse it) and you shake it all about.  My shower is not super warm; it’s not the coldest it could be, either, but it’s definitely not warm.  From what I’ve learned from talking with other people, my shower is special and other people have warm showers.  I have decided that if everyone in the world took cold showers, water usage would go down by a significant amount.

Wandering Cows

Being from Kansas, I am used to cows being inside fences.  When a cow is not in its perspective fence, common curacy is to call the person to whom the cow belongs so that they may get their cow back into the fence.  I’m not sure cows have fences here; they just sort of wander.  They wander down streets and in the Jardin Botanico, they wander where they want it seems, and no one bats an eye.

Obnoxious Men

It is rare for me to be able to walk here and not attract some whistles, lots of stares and sometimes comments.  Out of all the things to get used to, his has been toughest.  I really just want to tie their tongues in knots so that whistling isn’t an option.  Respect for women is viewed very differently here than it is in the U.S.  I think that it doesn’t really bother women here when they’re whistled at or when men stare.  It’s not that I’m going to say it’s viewed as a complement, but it’s sort of viewed as a complement.  It’s like someone saying ‘hey Sarah, you look nice today’ but more direct and, for me, more disgusting way.  Even so, it’s pretty difficult for me to get used to or get rid of my fantasy of tying tongues in knots.

Mealtime differences

I’m not the biggest meat eater.  If I had an option between a steak and my mom’s black beans and rice, I’d go for the beans and rice most every day.  Here, however, I’d be hard pressed to find someone who’d agree with me.  Every meal that we’ve had so far with the extended family has included a large slab of meat on the grill and chorizo (little sausages).  Meals with the family almost always contain a lot of meat, too.  I’m learning to enjoy meat a lot more, or at least trying to learn.

Much love,

Sarah