Differences

Diane and I were talking about some of the things that are different here from at home. Here are a few together with our feeling of whether we like it better the way it is here, or at home.

1. The street lights turn yellow before they turn red and before they turn green. We like it better.

2. Milk comes in either a bag or a box. We don't like it as much because the bag has spilled over when we put it down and milk has gushed out when we (me) squeezed it too hard when pouring.

3. The garbage is collected every night at 8:00 pm. We like it better. The dogs don't like it at all.

4. When you check out of the grocery store, they ask you if you want to pay all at once or in installments. We don't like it because (a) the first couple of times we had no idea what they were asking us; and (b) it makes us feel like we are really buying a lot of groceries!

5. When traveling behind a large bus or truck, the driver will turn his signal on to let you know it is ok to pass. This is a tough one. We didn't like it the first couple of times when we were trying to figure out why the bus was going to turn left into nowhere going 80 mph, but liked it when we figured it out and passed with ease. Didn't like it when the trucker thought the oncoming car was going slower than it really was.

6. Unlike the Susan B. Anthony dollar, the one peso coin is very common and used everywhere. We like it, especially at bridges and toll stations.

7. Credit card receipts are about 1 inch square. We like the conservation of paper, but we are not so fond of having to microscopically inscribe our signature with a Bic ball point pen.

8. People who are selling their cars, put a clorox bottle on their roof when parked so you can spot them when you are driving down the street. Once we figured out what they were doing, we think it is a hoot. By the way, wrong guesses included: making tea, marking the car to find it later and keeping the cats away.

9. The first floor in a building is referred to as the "Planta Baja" and the second floor is referred to as the "Primer Piso" or "First Floor". It really confuses us, especially when in a crowded elevator.

10. The person you are talking to always wants to be the last one to say thank you. It goes something like this:

Me: Gracias.
You: No, gracias a Ud.
Me: No, por favor, gracias a Ud.
You: No, hermano, no hay de que.
Me: Bueno, cualquier cosa me avisa.
You: Si, gracias y a mi también.
Me: Bien, gracias y saludos a su esposa.
You: Gracias y a su esposa y a sus hijos.
And so on, etc, etc.

We like the first 2 or 3 exchanges, but we LOVE the challenge of being the last one to thank the other!