I went to the local bazaar today during Chickpea’s nap, and it was so much fun. I really wish I brought my camera, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how to take photos of the local action without looking like an obnoxious American. Anyway, it really was a ton of fun – a huge, open-air-yet-covered bazaar filled with fresh fruit and veggies (in the brightest colors – makes you realize how not-so-fresh our food in American grocery stores can be sometimes), fish caught that morning in the bay, 30 different kinds of olives and cheese, grainsacks filled with herbs and spices, and more dried beans than I could recognize. Great fun. It will be a regular part of my weekly grocery buying.

One of my bigger cultural adjustments so far has been the heat tolerance. It actually has been beautiful weather; from what I’ve heard, it sounds similar to what Austin’s had lately. I just love springtime weather, and one of the ways I normally celebrate is by wearing my Chacos and capris or skirts (wait – I do that almost year-round). But here, their tolerance for heat is much higher, so people are still wearing down coats, wool sweaters, and sportcoats. In 70-degree weather. I sweat buckets just looking at them. And I want so badly to wear my sandals and lighter-weight clothes, but I know I’ll stick out. They’re actually pretty superstitious about the wind; they say it will make you sick, make your joints stiff, make you go cross-eyed, you name it. I’m trying to find that fine balance between being culturally-appropriate and blending in, but also recognizing the silliness in fearing the wind and showing them I’m just fine in jeans and a t-shirt. I guess we’ll see what I do as our time here progress…

And finally – I’ve added more photos to Flickr. Enjoy!

posted: 07 March 21
under: culture