Taking things for granted..

  <----  I found this, and I couldn't resist not copying it.  I'm seriously considering buying this outfit to send to my Sugar Daddy crazed cousin.  I'm sure his wife would be thrilled beyond words.  He can wear it while golfing. 

Yes, the things we do take for granted here in the U.S.  My cousin also misses the chocolate donuts from Dunkin Donuts.  If I go there this summer, and if I see the donut shop, I may get him a box---but I'm not going to go out of my way..  Customs nowadays is a little tougher when bringing in food to a foreign soil, and I really can't rely on my ex-husband's brother at the airport to let our luggage just slip by inspections anymore. 

Whenever we go to the Azores, we also stow away American foods in our suitcases in between the clothing.  It can range from pancake and cake mixes to hamburger helper.  Although there are large grocery stores there now, there never used to be.  We had to go get passes to get into the U.S. Air Force base and buy American food from the little cantinas.  Nowadays, my cousins, who are employed as natives at the base can enter the stores that used to be only open to military families. 

Other items we used to stuff our suitcases were clothes for relatives.  Housecoats for the older women, black nylons...dresses, t-shirts, jeans..etc..  Clothing is still very expensive on the islands; mostly because everything is exported there.  Clothing is so cheap here by comparison.  Although, for example, if you do go and buy a new pair of shoes there, you aren't going to find anything plastic.  Everything is made of mostly high quality leather.  Now, shoes are expensive there, especially when you consider that the streets there are mostly cobblestone.  Cobblestone really kills your heels!  No matter how many shoes I bring with me, I always seem to have to buy another pair.  They really need to build a Payless Shoe store there---nothing beat disposable shoes!!

The Portuguese currency is now gone--no more Escudo--only Euros.  Since the currency change, my cousins are making more, but the U.S. dollar has gone down quite drastically--so it's kind of a let down when you get there---no one wants your dollar anymore, cuz it's now worth like 45 cents if you are lucky!!  It used to be worth double back in the day.

Other things have changed as well.  When my father was courting my mother there in the 50's, there were only 3 cars owned in the entire village.  Nowadays, most families own two.  I remember even in the early 80's not everyone had a phones in their home.  People would have to go to a neighbor's house, or even go into a store to make a phone call.  Nowadays, everyone has a phone, as well as a cell phone.  When I was younger, visiting there, many people used public transportation to go to the city either by bus or taxi.  Now, people drive there, and there is virtually no parking to be found---parking skills are put to the test when you find yourself on a steep, sometimes slippery, narrow hill, trying to vertically park in between two Minis--it's like parking in San Francisco!--Not fun!!!   Of course, the gas is expensive, but when you live on an island--you can go around the entire island 3 or 4 times with a full tank--it really isn't that bad. 

As for recreation, you have the golf course, and of course the ocean, mountain biking, and the bullfights and festas during the summer, for the most part, the clean country air, the sounds of chickens and roosters, maybe the sound of oxen slowly coming through the streets with creaking wooden wheels--a glimpse back to old world.  You can still run into a group of cows on a village road being gently guided by a stick held by young boy, leading them to pasture, as well you can still hear the screams of squealing pigs as they are being masacured for a religious feasts.  (I can't stand the sound of it--and so glad I've never been invited to one.)    There is also a very large mental health facility there-Sao Rafael.  It isn't uncommon for people to feel that "island anxiety"---it happens quite often in fact.   

Yes, we do take things for granted here, but time goes so fast here.  At times, I never seem to have enough time in between all the rush, rush of a day.  At least I have this journal to write something in before I feel that "California, rush, rush anxiety"...