Notices

Every day I notice little things here and there that are different, interesting, funny, or just seem to catch my eyes or ears. I decided I should write some of them down. Immediately.

1-My host father blows his nose just like Mom and Grandpa Doug. It's actually quite comforting, and makes me giggle a little every time.
2-Our apartment has popcorn ceiling, which makes me think of Mom standing on a step ladder scraping the ceiling for days while we were renovating various parts of the house. I also think of being a youngin', playing with JD and accidently hitting the ceiling with a ball (or other object...), and then watching the snow fall from the ceiling.
3-If I leave ACLAS right after class, between 12-12:30, there are only men walking on Comercio as I head home. If I leave between 12:30-1, there are only women walking on Comercio. I haven't figured out why, but I suppose it has to do with lunch breaks. It was kind of frightening the first time I walked through the sea of men, being a gringa with a backpack and a hungry stomach.
4-Women who can afford them wear heels all day long, anywhere they go. We hiked Pichincha, the great volcano I can see from my window, and we were just about the only women in tennis shoes.
5-It doesn't snow here, but the last two days it has rained very hard with spurts of pea-sized hail. Fifteen minutes before the rain it was hot enough to be sweating outside... it's kind of like Oregon.
6-People like to gather in large numbers for all kinds of things, and I haven't met a single person with the least bit of chlostrophobia. Long lines aren't a problem, and there's no such thing as being in somebody else's space. Just push right on through, and leave the lint from your clothes on the next lucky person.
7-Fireworks are a favorite, and a must for the 10th of August celebrations. 10 de Agosto is the equivalent of our 4th of July.
8-A tree, a brick wall, the gutter, or a hill make perfect natural outhouses for all men at all times of the day. Businessmen, taxi drivers, kids in the street, my next door neighbor...
9-When leaving a party, or really any place with people, it's crucial to say goodbye to every person in the room, whether you've been introduced or not.
10-Stop signs don't actually mean stop. They mean, honk your horn and speed up to scare the pedestrians trying to cross the street. Crosswalks aren't actually places to cross. They're street decoration.
11-The yellow and white lines in the middle of the road mean nothing. They're more of a goal for pedestrians, a place to stop in between rushes of traffic.
12-Nothing is illegal unless there are police, and then it's only illegal if you don't have some spare cash.

To bed, I said.