random observations

Last night on my way home from work, I rounded the corner of my building and ran into a woman who was all decked out. Gold sequins top and metallic gold boots to match. Women here have the wackiest sense of fashion. Many of them think they're glam and western, but a lot of them end up looking like color-blind pole dancers. Less is not more here. More is definitely more. I bet they think I'm really plain and bland here. Believe you me, I can live with it.

It's nice to work in a place where you can open a window. I always hated being hermetically sealed into the Candler building, freezing my butt off in the summer with the AC blowing full blast. The only negative is flies (and the occasional bee) flying in. Some days the dogs barking (our office is on a residential street, a few blocks from the main drag) are pleasant, other days they get on my nerves. Today I'm enjoying them.

I love hacks, otherwise known as gypsy cabs. Stick your hand out, and any old person who wants to make a few extra tenge will pull over. In Baltimore, sometimes I'd have to wait up to 10 minutes for a cab. Here, I rarely wait more than 60 seconds before someone pulls over. Nice, convenient, and dirt cheap. Especially nice on those mornings when I've stayed up too late watching Boston Legal (damn you, Star World with your US programming!) and overslept. I'm at the office in 4 minutes, thanks to random men driving me to work for US $1.67. (Don't worry, mom, it's much safer than I'm making it sound.)

They've been building a metro for years here, but the locals don't actually believe it will ever be completed. In addition to the streets being filled with cars, the buses and trams are PACKED. Even during off-peak hours. Last night at around 10pm there was a bus that had every seat full and tons of people were standing throughout. Then it stopped at a stop, and about another 10-12 people got on. My space bubble sensibilities are easily offended in such situations, and I've actually not gotten onto a bus if it's been too full. But I've also ridden the totally packed, rush hour ones. We literally were jammed in there like sardines, and every time someone got on/off it was bodies smooshing into one another left and right. Not fun, totally germy, but what can you do, other than rotate your body so that it's a woman rubbing up against your butt instead of a guy? Yeah, I know: walk or stop a car.

My office buys my toilet paper for me. As well as cleaning supplies, detergent, and stuff for the apartment (which is theirs) like light bulbs, batteries, etc. It's a little embarassing to come home to a 10-pack of TP that the driver dropped off while you were at work.