Las Pequeñas Cosas

There are some things you cannot prepare for. The other day Matt and I went on a hunt to find things for our apartment, including clothes hangers. It is little items like this that are very hard to find if you don't know where to look. Frustrated, I asked a lady working at a dry cleaner store if she knew where I might find some, pointing to all the hangers in clear view, and she said she had no idea. After going to three different supermarkets we finally found some.

There is a supermercado (market) down the street from our apartment that we have visited a few times now. There is one lady working there who hasn't found a good babysitter, not that day nor any other, so her daughter and baby come to work with her. As we were waiting in line, the little girl was playing pretend grocery shopping with the scanner as the lady at the register was holding a baby. The lady laughed, clearly in no rush to help us. I imagined walking into a Ralphs or CVS and seeing a cash attendant holding their baby. Just one of the little differences in how businesses operate here. One of the big differences is that many businesses are not open for the summer, and if they are they are not open in the afternoon. One of our tasks today we to buy a sim card for my phone, but it makes it difficult when no phone stores are open. Making money does not seem to be a priority here.

These cultural differences make simple tasks challenging. To live in a different country you must have patience and a open mind. Each day is a learning experience and with each challenge, their is a opportunity to overcome it and learn from mistakes.

Tonight Matt and I are going to try out a sushi restaurant. We did some research and found ten sushi places near our apartment. I am glad Portenos share a similar interest in sushi! The lord knows I couldn't go three months without it.