Things that are “normal” here

When I’m talking with my friends in the States I’ll mention things that are pretty common here and they are always surprised to hear them.  You are anxious to hear, right?

This week we have lost power 3 times.  Not a flicker, but for several hours.  There was no storm to knock out power, it was just OUT!  We did have a big storm on Thursday night, the power stayed on.  Let me remind you it is hot and sticky here.  No power = SWEATY!

Thursday morning there was no water.  This happens all the time.  Allen will go to get in the shower and nothing.  I’ll go to put a load of laundry in and the washer makes a horrendous noise when I turn it on.  We have to keep jugs of water to flush toilets with.  We’re fancy like that.

Our cell phone situation is….odd.  Allen has a typical cell phone where he gets a bill every month, etc.  That’s because his work pays for it.  It is something ridiculous like $650 to buy a Blackberry here.  We can buy a cell phone here (remember this post), but they are like typing on a typewriter.  I paid good money to get an iPhone unlocked and I use that, but most of the functions of an iPhone don’t even work here.  I simply lost my cell phone/fm radio and didn’t want to pay $50 to get another.

We buy our cell phone minutes from a guy who stands out in traffic and sells them.  It’s a phone card you buy (cash of course) and put in a PIN and then it adds minutes to your phone.  Not your account because accounts are so “first world”.  As of January 1 we can now go into a store and “top up” where you give the cashier your phone number and some money and she adds minutes to your phone that way.  This is an advance!

There aren’t really any convenience stores here.  if you want a drink while you are driving you pull up to  a situation like this.  I say “situation” because pulling up to a guy with a dirty cooler filled with questionably clean water ice is just sketchy to me.  But that’s the way it is?  Want a Sprite?  Too bad, you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.

This entrepreneur has a bit better spot.  He has an amazing Poinciana tree  right there!

Then there is this…

This is very common here.  Is it just me or does it  look like Marge Simpson’s hair? 

This is how they wear a hard hat.

He not only wears the hard hat in such a jaunty manner, but he has dreads on his chin.  See the little one “dripping off”?  You just can’t find this anywhere!

And I think that is a good place to stop for today!