Our learning curve is getting better daily, but there are still a number of tasks for which we're simply not prepared. I found pancake syrup, for instance, the other day, at what I'm pretty sure is the only place that carries it in the whole city of Montevideo. Took me—you'll think I'm exaggerating but I'm not—most of 3 days.
We went to the movies for the first time on Saturday to see best picture nominee ATONEMENT (loved it, as I had the book)—alas, the learning curve again. First, you buy the tickets at a booth in the mall not located next to the theater; tickets are sold only at certain times regardless of showings. Second, since popcorn is kind of hard to come by around here, we bought the snack pack with two boxes of popcorn and 4 drinks. You have to pay for the snacks over at the (usually-unmanned) ticket booth; the popcorn place doesn't deal with money at all. Third, I braced myself to order the popcorn, thought through my how-to-order Spanish words, thought about what the girl might say to me, etc. So it stunned me when she asked me, "Do you want sugar or salt on your popcorn?" Not kettle corn (which I despise, by the way), but sugar poured on your popcorn. Just another cultural difference, the kind of thing we run into daily around here.
Sometimes the curve you're thrown ends up being better than you expect. Like our Lavadera, the washing place (pictured). We take our yucky, filthy clothes less than a block from Casa ACU, and a marvelous surprise happens. You pick them up the next day, and they're neatly folded, smell HEAVENLY, and for this you pay a mere $3.00 per load. Oh, and
yes, in my limited survey of two laundry places, it seems to be a requirement to have 
an incredibly friendly, adorable cat basking in the front window. I like going to our place and petting the cat as much as anything, I think (I can't believe that I miss our kitties so much. Have I become THAT person? Oh no...).
10 comments:
I always look forward to reading your blog posts. Thanks for sharing the insights, many of which I can definitely relate to from when I was exploring a similar culture years ago. (Though I think Ken's story about "wheat bread" in Belgium is still my favorite)
Grace and peace,
Tim
Thanks for reading, Tim. That means A LOT to me, and I appreciate it.
Yep, the wheat story is really good. Our Closed to Crocodiles story is pretty good as well (it's on an old blog entry at this site from our trip to Europe in June '05). Language and culture are funny, wonderful things.
Guess where we're going tomorrow morning? You got it! Argentina! We take a bus to Colonia, then take the ferry over to Buenos Aires. We'll be there Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, returning home around midnight Sunday. We will see a tango show tomorrow night, have a bus tour Saturday morning (it hits the usual highlights, like the Pink Palace and Evita's tomb and tells some history), and a couple of days to pack in what all we can. We want to tour the Opera House, go to the Bellas Artes museum, go to the Zoo (for Krista of course) and Japanese gardens, and find some Indian or Thai food (I know--random--but we're wanting something a little different, and we heard we could get that there). Any other recommendations?
Can I Fed-Ex my laundry and you take it get it done and Fed-Ex it back???
Gayla
I miss the laundry! They were so nice. Do they know all your names yet?
Oh and there is a post office in Tres Cruces. Its on the first floor with the bus terminals. Down on the end underneath the TaTas.
You should also be able to get envelopes in the Mosca at the food court end of Tres Cruces.
By the way I never mailed anything the whole time I was there.
How is Fabricio?
I loved B.A. Have a great time!
"I am going to that place underneath the TaTas to 'mail a letter.'"
Does this sound dirty to anyone else but me? Have I become THAT person?
Oh Kenny, you are SO not the only one who thinks that. What's worse, at the Ta-Tas (nice grocery store), you can pick up a Bimbo or two (a popular brand of bread).
And I'm so juvenile that I've already taken a picture of the store called GAY-MAR, next door to TWO GAYS (sells kitchenware, which is really useful since we have the most understocked mini-kitchen imaginable).
But--and I kid you not--the worst one is a clothing store kind of like Old Navy. So far, I've seen this store in BOTH the fancy malls I've been to here in Montevideo, called... in great big letters...
TITS.
Yep.
Gosh. No wonder people are having their comments refused around this place.
All right. I'm late to the party but I've read everyting.
I remember living in Kiev that sometimes it would take an entire day to buy sugar. Or toilet paper. Etc.
Isn't there an internet cafe you can use to do email (and blogging)? Surely the students are not living without interntet....
Gotta go write a test.
Oh,yeah. Btw, I've lost ten pounds since Jan 1.
Joe
Glad I am not the dirty one - but those places, far from sounding dirty with double entendre, sound bad with single entendre. You think they would know, or maybe they do? Does get your attention.
Now, if Joe is losing ten pounds, he isn't on the biggest loser track is he? I can't stand this competition.
Nice to have you aboard, Joe! Thanks for reading the blog!
And Kenny, Joe didn't pay up his fifty officially, I think (did you, Joe?), so the coast is clear on the Joe front! However, I'm so happy for him! Good job, Joe!!!
Then fine, Joe, be healthy. If you are part of the group, let me send you a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, my treat.
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