Things to get used to

There are things that I thought I would never get used to. The driving around here is one of those things. But now, I find myself complimenting a driver who was able to stop traffic by nudging the nose of his vehicle into the lane and getting the others to stop….it’s just the way it has to be, you find yourself saying “Hey that was a good move” after someone cuts someone else off and squeezes between two vehicles.
There are other things that I think it will take more time to get used to. The fact that we get stared at wherever we go, like aliens from another planet. Kids want to try out their one phrase of English and so call out repeatedly “What’s your name?”. If we walk through the neighborhood, we soon, without trying, gather a crowd of kids following us like the Pied Piper, asking for a church card or flyer, and it doesn’t really matter to them that they already have one in their other hand.
I have to get used to the fact that you can’t always find the things that you need. When my shoe’s sole needed replaced, I stopped at a shop and pulled off my shoe and put it on the counter and the lady just laughed “Too big!” I only wear a size 11 ½ but I am the original “Big Foot” to them. The other minister here working with us needed to replace the heads on his electric shaver and looked all around but to no avail, I decided to look on the internet for him, no problem I thought, and sure enough I found the heads, but when I went to purchase them, I found that few people ship to the Philippines. After about an hour or so searching, we find the heads (new) and were able to get it shipped to us for a total of $22 (he had bought them before at Walmart $29) and about two weeks time, but it sure would be nice to be able to drive down to Walmart and pick them up in 10 minutes.
The advertising here can be frank…and funny. Recently there was an ad for a weight loss clinic that said “I went from a huge American size 10 to a sexy size 4”. Huge American size 10??? There are some tiny people here, and the poverty must be really bad because they can not afford enough material to make a modest garment, they all look like they are wearing their little sister’s clothes. (definitely tongue in cheek) Follow @ddevonshire