Everyday life...

Usually everyday I think of a whole variety of random but interesting things I'd like to mention when I post. And everyday I forget nearly everything I wanted to say. So the purpose of this post, since today was rather uneventful, will be to try and include some of the most interesting everyday-life issues I think are worth sharing.



- It hasn't rained since I've been here. Most everyone I know won't be surprised by that, but having been born and raised in Florida, the thought that there are places where it REALLY doesn't rain all the time, it is actually rather astounding. The rainy season is on its way though, and I'm looking forward to it if for no other reason than it will hopefully wash away some of the stink in this city.



- The vast majority of people here smoke. All the time, everywhere. In malls, restaurants, elevators, schools....not buses, thankfully - but pretty much everywhere else. It's incredibly irritating, but I am getting more and more used to it.



- There are dogs very nearly all over the place, and most of them are never on a leash. I've been trying to think and figure out if the dogs here are smarter than the dogs in America or what - but they just walk beside their owner, stop at crosswalks, stop at the in-the-middle-of-the-busy-street waiting area for pedestrians, and are completely okay with it. Daive, obviously not so much. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned this before, but I found out in the Pensacola airport that she is TERRIFIED of luggage. Realistically though, the wheels on most of the bags are about the size of her head, so the fear isn't entirely unrealistic. Anyway, the feet and wheels disturbed her greatly. I can't imagine taking her through town, off leash or on, and her not being completely freaked out at the enormous and overwhelmingly loud buses, the scooters and mopeds that sound way too much like weedwackers, and the constant honking that goes on between them all.



- No litter laws. I was waiting on a bench one day for a bus, and I saw a lady come out of her shop, and drop some trash on the sidewalk. No big deal here. Also, just as a side note, there was a strike last week, and part of the area of the people on strike were the garbage collectors. Let me tell you about disgusting...the city smells like trash, pollution, and urine on a regular basis already...add even more trash, baking in the heat, for days..... - shudder - I'm glad the strike is over.



- Nuts are very "in" over here. Every little convenience-type store sells a wide variety of them: sunflower seeds, cashews, almonds, peanuts, and a whole lot more that are so far unidentifiable to me. They're also warmed. This is a normal thing, so I hear...however, the closest I've come in my life to eating warmed nuts are boiled peanuts, and I don't think they really count. Anyway, sunflower seeds especially are very popular here. So much so that I actually learned the Israeli way to eat sunflower seeds, which is far more effective than any other method I ever used. It's actually not the "Israeli way" it's just a much more efficient way, and it's sort of dumb to explain it, so I'm not. Suffice it to say it makes the sunflower-seed-eating-event much more rewarding because you can eat more in a shorter time.



- The elevators in the dorms I'm currently staying at, they're tiny. The capacity is four passengers, but I'm not sure what kind of people could COMFORTABLY fit four in these elevators. If I had to guess (keeping in mind what a lousy estimater I am) I'd say it was three foot by three foot - and now just because I've got it in my head, I'll measure sometime. But when you get in on the ground floor (by yourself, if you're lucky) and are going up, if you take a step to the other side of the elevator, the whole thing makes a load of sounds that are overall quite disturbing and can on occasion make you fear for your life. I'm much more used to it now, and it makes me laugh some - but there are still times when I get scared.



I can't think of anything else, and I suppose that's enough for right now. I'm intent on finding some schwarma before going back to the dorm for a thrilling evening of doing nothing (except for feeding my book addiction). Love you all!