It always amuses me how important things like McDonald's are to some North Americans when they live in other countries. We don't go to McDonald's in the US unless we're traveling, so we don't often think about going when we're staying put like we are here. However, last night we were out past dinner time and didn't really have a plan for dinner (we went to a multi-church celebration that we ended up leaving before they served the food because it was getting late). So, we discussed options for dinner and when McDonald's was mentioned, the girls jumped on it.
We told them to be careful about what to expect (the last time we were served hamburgers at an event they came with ham on them - and you never know what to expect in McDonald's in another country). We pulled in around 8 pm on Sunday evening and the place was packed. There was a separate room for ordering and eating at the McCafe. The line wasn't too long, but boy was it noisy!! The girls picked out what looked to be the only empty table in the dining room and it was right next to the line. Fortunately, John scouted around and found a nice outside eating area. The temperature was perfect for eating outside and it was much more peaceful - despite the fact that it was close to a fairly busy road.
The food was pretty standard McDonald's and we were all much happier after getting something in our stomachs two hours after our normal dinner time. And the bill was about $10 (2 meal combos, 2 small burgers and 2 more drinks). All in all I'd say it was a better experience than our meal at Friday's. I won't mind if we don't go back there again for the rest of time here. One last fun fact about "American" and fast food - Burger King and McDonald's deliver here!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Life without a car
As you may recall me saying earlier, I was very excited when our car arrived with our household goods on Sept. 8th. It was great to feel like we could get places without walking or taking a taxi. Unfortunately, not too long after our car arrived, we started to notice that the transmission was slipping. Without going into the whole long story, it turned out that the problem was actually a computer that runs the transmission and not the transmission itself.
One of the reasons that we decided to bring a Toyota here instead of a Honda was that there was a big Toyota dealer. Well, the Toyotas that they sell here are different, and we had to order the part from the US. There are about 3 other long stories I could tell here, but I started thinking about something else during all of this, as I was feeling sorry for myself about not having a car to drive. (We might damage the transmission if we drive it with the computer that doesn't work, so we're trying not to use it). As we were pulling up to church in a taxi, I realized that there's no parking lot at church. Because the only people at church who have a car are the American missionaries and us. I started wondering how many people in the world go through all of life without the luxury of a car (or of being able to afford a taxi). So, it helped me to be thankful for the many times in life that I can just hop in my car and go where I want to.
Our part arrived from the US yesterday and the gentleman from the shop just came to pick up our car (how's that for service?). So, I'm hoping that very soon our car will be functioning again and we can get back to where we were in the process of adjusting to life in Paraguay. One good thing that came out of all of this was that I did finally use the bus a few times. I used it all the time in Costa Rica, but hadn't gotten around to it here. It's not bad during the day - but they get pretty crowded at rush hour. And I can't imagine what they're like when it's 100-120 out (no air conditioning!).
One of the reasons that we decided to bring a Toyota here instead of a Honda was that there was a big Toyota dealer. Well, the Toyotas that they sell here are different, and we had to order the part from the US. There are about 3 other long stories I could tell here, but I started thinking about something else during all of this, as I was feeling sorry for myself about not having a car to drive. (We might damage the transmission if we drive it with the computer that doesn't work, so we're trying not to use it). As we were pulling up to church in a taxi, I realized that there's no parking lot at church. Because the only people at church who have a car are the American missionaries and us. I started wondering how many people in the world go through all of life without the luxury of a car (or of being able to afford a taxi). So, it helped me to be thankful for the many times in life that I can just hop in my car and go where I want to.
Our part arrived from the US yesterday and the gentleman from the shop just came to pick up our car (how's that for service?). So, I'm hoping that very soon our car will be functioning again and we can get back to where we were in the process of adjusting to life in Paraguay. One good thing that came out of all of this was that I did finally use the bus a few times. I used it all the time in Costa Rica, but hadn't gotten around to it here. It's not bad during the day - but they get pretty crowded at rush hour. And I can't imagine what they're like when it's 100-120 out (no air conditioning!).
What time is it?
Have you ever wondered what time it is in Paraguay compared to where you live? Well, the answer is - it's complicated. Or, it depends - on what the date is. Our time zone is UTC (formerly GMT) plus 5. Compared to the East Coast of the US which is UTC plus 4. So, right now, we are an hour ahead of the East Coast.
When we arrived in July, however, Paraguay was in Daylight Savings Time. Because it was winter. So we were actually the same time as the East Coast. At the beginning of October our DST ended, so we are an hour ahead. But on Sunday the US moves to Daylight Savings Time (as it goes into winter), at which point we will be two hours ahead. And it will remain that way until either 1. Paraguay goes into DST or 2. The US leaves DST (I'm not sure which happens first). (Did I mention it was complicated?)
Is anyone surprised that we are ahead of the US? I know that I just couldn't get my arms around that fact the first time I traveled to South America, some 20+ years ago. I really thought that South America was south of the US and it wasn't until I took a good look at the map that I saw how far east it is! Nothing helps bad geography skills as much as traveling...
When we arrived in July, however, Paraguay was in Daylight Savings Time. Because it was winter. So we were actually the same time as the East Coast. At the beginning of October our DST ended, so we are an hour ahead. But on Sunday the US moves to Daylight Savings Time (as it goes into winter), at which point we will be two hours ahead. And it will remain that way until either 1. Paraguay goes into DST or 2. The US leaves DST (I'm not sure which happens first). (Did I mention it was complicated?)
Is anyone surprised that we are ahead of the US? I know that I just couldn't get my arms around that fact the first time I traveled to South America, some 20+ years ago. I really thought that South America was south of the US and it wasn't until I took a good look at the map that I saw how far east it is! Nothing helps bad geography skills as much as traveling...
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