10 Things that are Totally Different Here
not better or worse, just different
What’s up, y’all!
Unbelievably, the Paraguayan government has accepted our application to live here for a couple of years! 😁 This doesn’t mean they’ll approve it (probably they will), but it does mean that we can stay longer than our 90 day tourist visa allows. They gave us an extension until March, and maybe they’ll have our application approved by then.
Now that the stress of all that paperwork is taken care of, I can relax for a minute. Though I’ve already been told I should start the cédula process before all of the local documents expire. The cédula is the national ID card that is used here, so that will be our next step.
Those local documents were easy to obtain, though, so I’m not sweating it if they expire. I’m not eager to return to the city anytime soon, that’s for sure.
Anyway, that’s next year’s problem. I’ll worry about that then.🤣
gnob said that he was expecting a lot more culture shock when we got here, but it really hasn’t been that hard to adapt. There are a few things that are definitely different here, though, so today I want to tell you about those.
1. The Electricity is Shocking
I’ve mentioned before that the electric system here is 220V, 50Hz, so you knew that was different, but it doesn’t seem like grounding is a thing here. Now, maybe it’s just the two houses we’ve been in, but I have a feeling it’s not.
I can’t work on my laptop without wearing shoes or it shocks me when I touch the case!
I have the same problem with the on-demand heater for the kitchen sink. The sink itself is metal, and if I try and wash dishes barefoot, I will inevitably get shocked.
I still haven’t gotten used to it, so I usually get shocked every couple of days because I’m always barefoot. 👣 It’s not a major shock, just a little tingle, but it’s annoying. When I wear my sandals to ground myself, though, all is right with the world.
2. Milk is Not Refrigerated (or Eggs)
Okay, I remember this one from living in Italy while I was in the Navy, so I wasn’t surprised by it. Milk comes in a box, on the shelf, because they use a different pasteurization process here, ultra-high-temperature processing.
Of course, we put it right into the refrigerator, because it tastes good cold, but we don’t put the eggs in there. As another note on eggs, the yolks are quite a bit more yellow here, and they are delicious.
3. Don’t Flush Your Toilet Paper
This one is pretty common throughout Latin America, and probably other parts of the world, though I have no idea. The pipes here can’t handle the paper, so there’s always a trash can in the bathroom to put your TP in. Never flush it, or you will have problems.
4. Most of the Vehicles are Diesel
This one has also taken some getting used to. When I go for a run, I’m always aware of the sounds around me, you know, so I don’t die. When I hear a diesel coming up behind me, I always assume it’s going to be a big, American truck, because in the States, it usually is. Here, it’s probably a Kia. 🏃♀️🚗
5. I Have to Sweep Every Day
I mean, sweeping every day is normal, I suppose. But here, I have to sweep the entire house, front to back, every day, or it will turn into a sandbox. You’ve seen the red dirt roads in some of my previous pictures. (The dirt here is full of iron, that’s why it’s so red.) But that stuff is everywhere. Look at this picture. This is after one day.
Every single morning, I have a pile that big inside the house. I’ve begun to understand why I see people daily sweeping off, or hosing off, their front sidewalks and porches. You have to, or it will win. So my morning routine has become: go for a run, then come home and sweep. In a way, I like it. It’s a reminder that no matter how important we humans think we are, if we look away for a second, nature’s gonna get us in the end.
6. No Dryers Necessary
Seriously, it’s hot here. I hang my clothes out on the line to dry, and it does not take long. Though I suppose when we build our house, I’ll have a clothes dryer again, it hasn’t been a problem not having one. Probably I haven’t been doing it long enough to get annoyed with it, though! 😄
7. Pancetta not Bacon
Okay, they don’t have bacon here. It’s just not a thing. But pancetta is. I didn’t even know what pancetta was until I got here. Apparently, it’s the same thing as bacon, but bacon gets smoked, and pancetta doesn’t. It tastes like bacon to me, so it doesn’t really matter, but it’s just one of the things that are different. They don’t have beef jerky here, either, which is surprising, considering that beef is one of its major exports. I smell a business opportunity!
8. Every House is Fenced and/or Gated
It doesn’t mean that this is a crime-ridden country, I feel very safe here. I don’t worry about my house when I leave it, because everyone on this street knows everyone else, and strangers stick out like sore thumbs. But maybe that’s why there is no crime, because everything is gated and fenced! Circular reasoning, maybe. The stores are the same way, some of them you don’t enter, you just ask for what you need at a window, and they go fetch it from the back for you.
9. The Daily Rhythm is Different
Everything here is based around the heat of the day. Everyone gets up and moving relatively early, because by noon or so, it’s really hot. Larger stores will stay open all day, but the smaller mom and pop stores all close until around 4pm. The streets feel deserted. But by 5 or 6, people are moving around again. People stay outside late here, hanging out on their porches until 11pm, because it’s finally cooled off. We’re learning to embrace the siesta! 💤
10. There are no Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
But that’s okay, because we’ve discovered something new! These little Oreo wafers are simply delightful.
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Parting Thoughts
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Lets hope you get approved. I remember when I was a Kidd we lived in the Mojave desert and my mother had to sweep every day (sand)
I guess there is no fried catfish on Fridays or red beans & rice on Mondays.....and a muffaletta is just out of the question!
Everything in life is compromise.....a bag of those Oreo wafers would go down well, with a liter of UHT milk..... that's why they have all the gates & fences....so you can safely eat all 16 Oreo wafers, undisturbed!