Cold Spaghetti

Some interesting and random things…

– Toliet paper trash should be deposited in waste baskets found beside every toilet, not flushed. This is generally because the water pressure can’t quite manage the delicate tissue. We adhere pretty easily to this having been made accustomed during our stays in Honduras. We’re so used to it that we forget to tell other people (I think we finally got around to telling Gwen around day 3 of her visit!)
– Inca Cola is the local carbonated beverage of choice. It is an electric yellow color and smells and tastes exactly like Bazooka bubblegum. Most folks I know drink the “light” variety, but I haven’t yet gained the courage.
– Instead, we drink regular Coke. Never in the States would I dream about drinking a regular Coke. Ick. But here, Coke “light” is made without nutrasweet and (in my opinion) is sort of blah. And for some reason, when abroad, I crave Coke. A RPCV I know swears that a Coke each day will kill bad stuff in your stomache and keep you well. I’m working on that theory.
– Fresh milk is sold “en bolsa” (in bags) and most people buy milk which is ultra-pasterized and does not need to be refridgerated. If you order milk in a restaurant, it will come hot. Milk is also sweetened, so even skim milk has a sweet flavor. This is *very* hard for me. We’ve tried about 5 varieties of milk and nothing comes close to fresh skim, my milk of choice. So my dairy intake is greatly reduced here; I’m a picky milk drinker. (Actually, this has been the case with every country I’ve ever been in, so it’s no great surprise.)
– Will loves the milk, although he isn’t so keen on warm milk.
– Diapers are basically the same as those in the States, with some minor differences — not as much focus on recognizable characters and varieties that come individually wrapped. However, sizes basically end with XXG, which is Will’s size. XXG is also only available in one brand of diaper (Huggies). Considering that he is a size 4 (of 6) in the States and is only about 30 pounds (quite small compared to the gigantic kids we grow in the States) that says something about child size and age at potty training!
– We’ve fallen in love with quinoa. It’s a protein-rich grain that grows in the Sierra. Awesome.
– We have a water delivery service that works 7 days a week and delivers the water within an hour of your call. Each new bottle is 14 soles (a little less than $4) and we take about a bottle a week. The service now knows us by name and recognizes us within a few seconds of the call; we no longer need to give our address, bottle type, or other information to have a delivery.
– I have text messaging on my local cell phone and I hate it.
– Will goes to the park every morning with Josefina. Early Sunday morning, he asked “Where’s ‘Ina?” (He calls Josefina “Ina”.) And then said, “Va al parque” — it took us a minute to register that he was requesting a park trip in spanish. We are very proud that he is using spanish more and more with us.
– We still do not have the courage to go full turkey and only use spanish at home. I think that I am still lacking in the skills to do this well, yet it is the thing that would probably help me the most.
– There are two clowning schools that teach juggling within a short walk from the house. It is one of the reasons that, when we come back, we want to find a place to live in this neighborhood!
– There is an ice-rink in our district (Miraflores) although we do not know (and sort of doubt) that they have a hockey team.