Quirks

We've been here for three weeks. We've noticed some differences. Duh, you say? Yes, I know. Obviously there is the whole language barrier, and the fact that we are living in a different culture. I get it. It's the little things that strike me as funny and well, quirky. Some are related to Brazil, others are related to the fact that we are living with dorm room quality/quantity items. 

1. Cooking has been different. It's not that it's hard, but it just takes some getting used to. I don't have my cooking stuff, which takes me out of my comfort zone, if you wish. I have two skillets. This is how we cook our meat. Utilizing both. Don't worry, these aren't ginormous hamburgers, just tiny skillets. Everything is in portuguese, which is great for language acquisition, but sometimes harder when you are looking for a particular type of meat. 

I don't have a can opener, or measuring cups. We've had to buy all the essentials, like salt and pepper, so we don't have quite the spice drawer that I had at home. Like I said, it's just taking time to acquire the basics. 

Hot dogs are basics, right? Do you see it too? They ARE orange. I had heard about this before we moved, so it wasn't so shocking. I'll admit that I haven't tried one. I've smelled them, and they smell like a hot dog. However, Cayden loves them! 

When you boil the orange hot dogs, your water changes colors! Exciting stuff, no?

2. Bathrooms. The toilets don't have tanks. All bathrooms have a drain in the floor. You flush the toilet by pushing the big silver button on the wall, and holding it down for a few seconds. 

The first week we lived here, I ran a bath for Cayden and the water was yellow. Apparently the pipes are old. Thankfully, it's only happened once. 

3. Laundry. So far, it hasn't been too bad. The washer and dryer are small. Really small. You can't put a load of towels in the dryer or it will take 6 hours to dry. Seriously. Or longer. The timer on the dryer goes up to three hours. So most people, I say most, I really have no idea, but I'm assuming here, that most dry their clothes on the racks featured on the ceiling. If you air dry your stuff for a bit, then put it in the dryer. It's much more efficient. 

4. Language. This is sort of related to cooking. Heath and I use Google Translate for a lot of stuff. I use it mostly for cooking directions on packages, when I can't decipher. It's wonderful. 

These are just a few items that I have noticed. I'm sure I will come across a few more in time!

Boa Noite!