Immersing in the culture

Today we spent the afternoon exploring the City Center. This is the middle of town where there are lots of shops and restaurants and where the market is held on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Jason gave us a tour. I found plenty of clothing stores, several hodgepodge stores, and something that resembles a small mall. I also found some fabric stores! We bought Lauren a couple of pairs of pants for school, me a hairdryer, and an oscillating fan for our bedroom. There is no air conditioning in the houses here, but it is not hot. Without the sound of an air conditioner it is so quiet at night and it is hard to sleep in complete silence; hence, we need the fan for a little noise. After shopping we sat outside at a pizzeria at the end of the canal and had a delicious dinner while enjoying the beautiful weather. I am trying to fit in, which includes eating the European way. If you don't know, that means holding your fork in the left hand, tines down, using the knife to push food onto the back of the fork. The tines of the fork point down the whole time you are eating.
Jason and Lauren at dinner

After dinner we went to the big supermarket in town. Here you pick up a scanner (like the ones you use when you register for wedding or baby gifts) when you walk in. You scan everything before you put it in your cart. When you are done shopping you go to a register and put your scanner up. Then you just swipe your debit/credit card and you are done! As you are shopping, the scanner has a screen that shows everything you are getting and your total cost. It is pretty cool!

Another thing that is commonplace here is eating bread and cheese. Since we are totally new at this and don't have a clue, we asked the cheese lady at the grocery store what was her favorite cheese. So, we bought some brie with shallots and a baguette of wheat bread and tonight we ate that with some red wine. It was quite good! I definitely have to find a gym here if I am going to be eating like this.

Tomorrow I am going to be given a tour of the town by a local that works for Shell. She is the "welcoming lady". After that Jason and the kids are going to meet me in the City Center so we can go to the market, so I am sure I will have some more to report. Thanks for reading!