Month: August 2003

Categories
Misc.

Post-Shower Sweat, Toilet Paper, Cell Phones, and Avocados

Post-Shower Sweat, Toilet Paper, Cell Phones, and Avocados
I’ve been home a few days now and have had some time to reflect on the differences between my life in Ecuador and my life here in South Carolina.

Here’s a quick list of both significant and insignificant (mostly insignificant) observations:

  • Post-shower sweat. Though Cuenca, my home in Ecuador, is only a couple hundred miles from the equator, it sits in a valley at about 8,000 feet. So it’s not humid. South Carolina in August, I’m here to tell you, is very humid. And I’d forgotten all about what my buddy Miles B. calls post-shower sweat–how you’re covered in sweat just a few minutes after toweling off.
  • Toilet paper disposal. In Ecuador, the plumbing isn’t strong enough to handle toilet paper, so you dispose of it in small trash cans positioned next to toilets. American plumbing, obviously, is mighty. No trash cans.
  • Communication technologies, especially cell phones. I certainly missed having digital cable and broadband Web access. But I haven’t missed my cell phone. Man, it’s astounding how many people have got the contraptions here.
  • Avocados cost about 25 cents each in Ecuador. Here, you’ve gotta shell out a buck-and-a-half for ’em, and they’re small, un-ripe, discolored, and generally crappy.

    Watch this space for additions.

    • Categories
    Misc.

    Report from Beaufort, SC

    Greetings from the Lowcountry of South Carolina, land of sweet tea and shrimp n’ grits and Spanish moss.

    My return home went well–I made it from Ecuador to Miami to Charlotte to Savannah without incident. The Guayquil airport on Friday morning was hectic; turned out it was the last day that Ecuadorians could leave the country and enter Spain without a special visa.

    And, interestingly, Nico Lapentti, an Ecuadorian pro tennis player, was in the immigration line behind me. He was heading to Montreal for a tournament. I chatted with him briefly. Seems like a nice guy.

    So now I’m home. I’m off to Boston on Wednesday, then I’ll be in DC next week. For now, I’m soaking up as much digital cable TV and fast Internet access and good food as I can.