What I'm still getting used to...

So living in a new country (or any new place) there are certain things that you have to get used to. While some things I've pretty much gotten used to and don't really phase me anymore, there are still quite a few things that still throw me off. Here are a few of them:

1. NEMO (I don't know who they are) can shut down the whole country. Ok, so we've been having storms these last couple of days and today NEMO shut everything down. No one is going to work or doing anything (I basically feel like I'm grounded!). I'm used to the county being shut down, but a whole country still blows my mind!

2. Van can mean van or it can mean a pick up truck. A pick up can also be called a flat van. It is NEVER called a truck, a pick up, or any combo of the two!

3. A nylon is a plastic bag. This is one I'm getting used to, but at times I still have to think twice about it!

4. Pyrited movies are ok. (I'm not saying that they are morally ok and to go ahead and make all the copies you want, I'm making a statement about the culture here.) Not only are they sold everywhere, but they are also shown on tv.

5. Soup is not a winter food! Well there is no winter, and we eat soup/one pots all the time.

6. Along the same lines, hot chocolate is not for after you've played in the snow. You can drink it anytime!

7. You watch storms coming for days. For the storm system that just came through/is still coming through, we started getting warnings about it and watching it on Friday/Saturday. Part of this is because I'm in Peace Corps and they are concerned about our safety, but I also got texts from my phone company about the storm coming.

8. The water can get shut off. I'm used to the electricity going occasionally, but the water? I'm still trying to figure out when it's going to get taken and when I can expect it to stay. I just determined to always save water :) I'm actually lucky at my site and have water a lot more than some of the other volunteers!
So this is what I'm still working on getting used to right now. I love it here and don't mind changing/adapting some of my wording/behaviors to live in this awesome new culture!