a few cultural observations.

so obviously being in brazil a few things are different culturally and this morning, because i'm avoiding work, i feel they deserve mention. first and foremost, you don't flush toilet paper. none. you throw it in the trash beside the toilet and it's taken out various times throughout the day.

second, maids or housekeepers are very common here. most houses even have a room built in for them and it's not included in the bedroom count. i have to say not only is it saving the marriage between roommates, but i'm becoming spoiled. we leave in a rush in the morning with 500 dishes in the sink, comforters thrown everyone, stuff all over the floor. and when we return after a twelve hour work day, dishes are done, beds made, entire house picked up and organized. i may have to live in south america for the rest of my life based purely on this fact. when i go home for christmas i'm going to be very upset, when i come home and my stepmom hasn't made my bed.

if you are a carnivore, you will love the cultural difference of meat, meat, and meat. meat is the primary food of choice. usually grilled and all you can eat. all you can eat buffets are huge here. that or you pay by the kilo. while place exist where you just go and order, 'rodizo' [where they come to your table with endless meats] and buffet are the norm. breakfast is usually small here, with a cafe com leite [coffee and milk] and a pastry. lunch is the main meal of the day. at the office we get a two hour lunch, usually taken at the mall thanks to a bus provided by the agency. an hour to eat and an hour to shop. i think i'm in heaven. lunch is also the biggest meal of the day. you can forget just eating a sandwich. then they have a light dinner usually around 9pm. we thought our eating schedules were totally thrown off when we first got here, until we realized it was the culture. also, noone eats anything with their hands. if they do, they wrap it in a napkin.

you might as well drink beer because its cheaper than water. here you don't drink the tap water, so you order agua com or sem gas. flat or bubbly. a cerveja, will run you just as much. here a beer from the tap is called a 'chopp.' it's super fresh and the best kinda. it comes in light and dark. there is bottled beer too, but its very different for some reason. they tried to explain to us why, something about freezing then unfreezing. i just said, ill stick with the chopp. and some helpful information to know: 'cheapest beer' is cerveja mais barata.

speaking of beer, the club format is a little different here. when you go in they take your name and give you a card. then when you go to the bar to order a drink, they put it on your number. you pay everything at the end when you leave. this is a good thing and a bad thing. to them, its more convienent not to have to pay everytime. to an american girl who only takes so much money to control her drinking, not such a good thing. you even pay the cover at the end.

the biggest cultural difference: everyone is nice. and i'm not just saying that. everyone here is so nice and tolerant if you don't know the language. not just at the agency, but everywhere. i was at the mall trying to buy a pillow case and i told the lady i didnt know portuguese, a line you will soon learn to say, and she used the point and act method to explain everything. then took me to the register with twelve pillow cases and rang them all in so i could see the prices instead of trying to understand her. people are just nice for the sake of being nice. i think that has been the biggest culture shock of all so far.