This last weekend, Joe and I visited the "art center of Guadalajara." It is in a little area on the outskirts of the city called Tonala (Tone-a-la). I hope you like my pronunciation guide on how I say it! It was so much fun! It was a city were there are little shops set up with people that basket weave, weld sculptures, put together leather crafts, handmade dress shops, handmade pottery, paint, etc. You get the idea. It was all pretty inexpensive. Joe and I got a floor vase that hits my waist for $12. Most of them cost $50 or more in the States. Joe and I also got 3 plants (2 floor and 1 table plant) with pots for $50. A floor plant at Home Depot costs $30. I will definitely have to take my mom. She will think she is handicraft heaven! I was. Joe was a good sport for shopping with me most of the day. We got pretty tired and he never complained! I don't have any pictures of the city. Next time we go, I'll bring the camera.
My spanish keeps getting better, but I am still far away from having a conversa
tion with anyone in spanish. I can ask simple questions and answer simple questions. I am getting a little more courage to talk to people in my broken spanish.
Joe and I spent some time talking about some of the differences in the culture here. Here is a few of them:
- When you go out to eat, you ALWAYS have to ask for you ticket to pay. Mexicans think it is rude to put the ticket on the table before you are ready to leave.
- When you order food, many times you order one taco at a time. You eat one taco and then ask for another one when you are ready. The meals don't come all at once. Many places to eat sell their food by one item so you are able to receive each item fresh when you are ready. Not all places do this but the Mexican Restaurants that sell smalls things like tacos, tostadas, quesadillas, and such.
-When asked where one's home is, they will always respond, "Your home is ...." They never refer to it as their own home. It goes along with the saying "Mi casa, es su casa." My home is your home. So when Joe tells his sales guys where I am, he always says, "My wife is in your home." Sounds a little bit confusing, if you ask me!
-They seem a little bit more friendly here. I have had more women and children come up to me in stores to tell me how pretty my baby is and ask how old she is, then I can count on two hands and two feet! In America, even if you see a cute baby from far away, very rare will you stop the mom to ask how old the baby is and tell her how cute it is.
-Driving here...well it is just expected that you will cut people off. People run red lights all the time! They use them more like stop and even yield signs. And I'm not just talking about slow traffic times of the day. Any time during the day and any street or road, they don't follow the stop lights. Cops will pull you over if you run a red light and they see, but no one is intimidated by the law. I have seen cars almost play "chicken" crossing a busy street when the light is still green.
- People in American "Live to work." People in Mexico "Work to live." There are, of course, exceptions to this. But in general, that is the saying. I didn't make it up.
-Mexicans eat their biggest meal at about 2 in the afternoon. They all tend to take 2 hour lunches and work later into the evening. We feed the missionaries at 2 in the afternoon because of this culture difference.
-Children start school at age 2.
These are just some things that I have observed or heard from friends and Joe.
So Tali still enjoys watching T.V. It makes me laugh every time. Sometim
es the T.V. will be on and I'll just have picked up Tali from the floor or her chair and she will
get quiet and watch T.V. It seems like I already have to be careful what I am watching because she is watching it with me! It works in my favor in some aspects. For instance, it will calm her down when she starts getting worked up. Also, she is calm long enough for me to take a shower. And it relaxes her at night. I don't use it all the time because she is a pretty good kid and doesn'
t fuss too much. But it does come in handy when I need her to be occupied for just a short bit.
Joe and I ate at this amazing restaurant this last weekend. It is called Karlos and they are known for their "tortas." It is a sandwich covered in a sauce. I could have drank the sauce through a straw. It was that amazing. It was a kind of tomato/chile/cream sauce. The sauce could potentially taste amazing on pasta or as a soup! We will take any visitors we have to this restaurant. It is a pretty casual place with only outdoor seating. It is across from a park. It is quite nice.
3 comments:
Ooh... sign us up for the tortas! They sound delicious...
I am trying to imagine take a two hour lunch around 2.... that would mean staying at work until what, 7? That seems way harder than just getting the work over with and going home!
Hey- I sent Andrea an important email. Let me know if you got it- and if it works~ Love ya
you guys are awesome! Miss you.
Chad & Kristi
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