day fourteen.

so i have time before class today, and i figure, hey, why not go use the computers again? so here i am. just gonna share with you some of the cultural things i have noticed since ive been here. i wrote some down last night, since i had no computer, and the tvs were not working either! heres what i remember:

1. everyone says ´buenas´(means good) when walking past another person. i hear it about 293874345 times per day.

2. dinner is not a family occassion. lunch is more so, but still not like we have family dinner in the states. most people come home from work to eat lunch, even though it´s just an hour. its not like a siesta where everything shuts down, but it is a good break in the day. no one really goes out to restaurants either. there are a couple but its not a common thing to go do.

3. central mountain and eastern time here is called either colombia chile time, or peru time.

4. studying is a family occassion. everyone studies together, all the time--theres not really much else to do.

5. people wear comfy clothes in the house, but will put on makeup and get dressed up even for a five minute outting--no being seen in sweatpants! i dont like this.

6. EVERYTHING is fried. everything.

7. panama hats really are everywhere. so are ámerican clothes resale stores.´everyone wants the latest fashions in the US. jeans, for example, will sell for around 3 dollars. my host sister was wearing childrens place clothes the other day, no joke. i even recognized the skirt. no escaping that store!

8. no one is racist. but almost everyone is culturally ignorant. no one thinks less of different colors or ethnicities, but no one asks about it either. it is just assumed that everyone has the samereligion. in fact, many asians have immigrated here, and a large percentage of the community stems from asian roots.

9.no one says goodbye on the telephone. when theyre done talking, they just hang up.

10. chickens are wandering the streets everywhere!

11. theres a naked girl in almost every newspaper everyday. the fam says thats the only way the newspapers sell--the media definitely means something different here (but im still trying to figure out how exactly important news travels)

12. so many people own parrots! we have 2 baby perrititas.

13. people dont really exercise here. its pretty much unheard of. and people also eat a ton of fried stuff. and theyre skinny (mas o menos)--im still trying to figure this one out.

14. hammocks hammocks hammocks everywhere! i love it!

15. ´resfrado´is a national drink. its shaved ice, with malt, and other flavorings. its SO good. people push around carts selling it on the streets all day. costs about 30 cents.

ill keep adding to this list as more things come up for sure!