Portugal is.....Different...

So. I am muchhhh more exhausted working this job than I ever expected to be. Partly is due to the ONE HUNDRED DEGREE WEATHER. The other part is due to it being high season for tourism here in Portugal. And I guess the cherry on the cake is that university graduation here is a REALLY big deal and the whole town celebrates for a week. Things are dying down now, but there were concerts and parties that woke me up on various occasions. The intense celebration also made the streets smell like beer for a few days. So that was great.. Haha But in conclusion, I feel like I am in a constant state of exhaustion due to these factors which is why I haven't been able to post as much as I would like. #sorrynotsorry.

Anyways.

I have been in Portugal now for 32 days--we are past the one-third mark! Crazy how time flies! In my 32 days here, I have spent my days getting to know this beautiful country and the people who live here. I have noticed a few differences between Portugal and the US so I would like to document a few of them:

1. Peanut Butter. They just don't eat it here. It's not that they don't like it, they just don't. I asked some coworkers if they had ever eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and they all looked at me like I was crazy. One girl even replied, "No, but I've seen people eat them in movies..." WHAT?! A PB&J is a staple food for children in America. How have they never eaten one?! When I told her that I even make a sandwich with peanut butter, bananas, and honey, she about had a cow. I couldn't believe it!

2. Coffee. People here drink shots of espresso, which I find ironic. I was told that life is slower in this town, which in some ways it is. But they don't have time to sip on a warm mug of joe?! They only  have time to down a shot THAT THEY TAKE WITH NO MILK OR CREAM! I do not understand this. And it's not just some espresso in the morning. You have one or two after breakfast, one after lunch, one in the afternoon, and one after dinner. It is not uncommon to take like 8 shots of espresso every day. My heart would stop after 3 and a half! lol It's crazy! But for real, I would pay big money for a nice coffee shop here in Evora. UGH LATTES I MISS YOU SO MUCHHHH.

3. Dinner Time. Personally, I eat dinner anywhere from 5:30 to 7:00. Here, they eat dinner from 8:00 to 9:30 and I think they are NUTS!! I have eaten dinner on "their time" twice and both nights I had WILD dreams. I just can't eat dinner that late!

4. Milk. And Eggs. So at Publix, one can always find the quarts and gallons of milk and eggs in the refrigerated section at the back of the store. Well here, the milk (by the way, it comes in liters) and eggs are NOT refrigerated. The milk only has to be put in the fridge once it's been opened. So I have a liter of milk sitting on my shelf right now. Every time I drink it or put it in my cereal, the first bite is always very skeptical because I keep thinking it won't taste right. But it's actually waaaay better than American milk! I haven't made anything with my eggs yet (I just bought them today). But based upon the feathers I found on one of the eggs, I am going to assume they are nice and fresh. We shall see.

6. Toilets. Something interesting I find is the lack of handles on toilets. All the toilets have a button on the top. I don't know why, but they are so different. Just something I have noticed. Haha. Also, wherever there is a toilet, there is also a bidet. Fun fact.

7. Grocery Store Parking Lots and Carts. So apparently in this area, all the parking lots have these tent things over all the spots. This way, in case of rain, you won't get wet while loading your groceries into your car. GENIUS! The not-so genius part is that they lock each cart to another and the only way to unlock a cart if to insert a coin. Then, when you are done, you have to lock your cart back up to get your coin back. I don't understand this at all. Also, the products inside are so unorganized, in my humble opinion. Of course the toilet paper is next to the toothpaste, and not with the rest of the paper goods.... DUH.

8. Yogurt. Okay, so this subject baffles me two fold. One, their yogurt here has a different consistency than our yogurt, even if it's the EXACT SAME BRAND. It is runny which I find weird, but I keep buying it anyway and throwing granola in it and telling myself it's the same. Second, they have five times more yogurt options than we do. Like, the yogurt selection takes up nearly an entire aisle! So. Much. Runny. Yogurt!

So there are eight major differences that have surprised me. I'll post more when I come across them!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks:

I just love walking through Giraldo Square! It's so beautiful!

Portuguese countryside! I went to a party at a winery/estate/beautiful place and it was lovely!!

I ate little baby snails. They were not bad! You had to yank them out with a toothpick if they were too little to slurp out!

The wall around Evora is always lit up at night and I think it is really pretty!

This was my lunch the other day. I can't remember why I thought it was significant.... Just a tomato and cucumber salad and water... No clue. 

You can see more of my pictures on Instagram: http://instagram.com/lexalexislex#
and search the hashtag #lexinportugal for photos of my trip!! :)

Thanks for readingggg