Monday, March 24, 2014

back from a long absence

Good morning, everyone!

Wow has the time ever flown since my last post!  My parents and brother were here for two full weeks. That made two weeks of my life zoom by.  Now, my nieces and I have started back to our normal school schedule.  The weather here is absolutely picture-perfect.  

I have wanted to share some snapshots of my daily life here but don't often lug my camera with me.  Having my mom here was the perfect opportunity to get some every-day-life photos.

Each Friday, I do the grocery shopping for the family's restaurant and also the farm.  Many may wonder what kind of grocery stores we have here.  Surprisingly enough, we have very normal stores to shop in!  The one in our town in quite small compared to others.  I love going to the capitol city once a month to do a nice shop and pick up different cuts of meat and various items that aren't always found on the shelves in our local store.

 
Yes, we have familiar brands here, too!  I really don't miss too many food items because we eat so well.  I do miss chocolate chips, green salsa, green chilis, store-bought sour cream, and giardenira (for making Italian beef).  I mostly miss ingredients, not actual foods.


I always take a maid with me.  They love the opportunity to get out, go to town, do something different, and get extra treats for themselves.  :)  I love it because it makes shopping go so much faster!  Several months ago, there was a rash of crime events happening in town and it makes me feel safer having someone along with me.  Disclaimer:  I am not in danger on a daily basis.  :)  It's just nice to have someone along for the ride.


I would never do this in the States but here, I go directly into the back of the meat department to ask for the cuts I want to purchase for the week.  I remember first going with my sister-in-law and thinking that it was disgusting back there!  The smell was horrendous not to mention the smeared/streaked blood on the floor.  Eeww..  Now, it's not a big deal at all.  It's amazing how quickly one can adapt!


To finish a day of shopping, we normally stop at the market to pick up fruit and any other vegetables that I couldn't find at the store.  In this photo, you can spot bags of potatoes, piles of peanuts and stacks of egg trays.  It's easy to buy in bulk or small amounts.

All in a days' work....I love doing the shopping on Fridays!

3 comments:

Chris McNeilly said...

Thanks, Becca! So nice that you have all those nice things. When I think of Africa I think of having to eat monkey meat. :-) So wonderful to have modern communication and be able to share your life. Love You! Did you take any pictures of your family while they were there? We miss all of you! -Kathy McNeilly

Heather said...

Very cool! So thankful your family came for a visit. I can imagine how much you miss them. Thanks for sharing photos because we love to see even the subtle differences in stores, etc.

Anonymous said...

You don't have green salsa? I think you need us to come visit! Maybe one day --that would be so cool! And giardinera...don't hold your breath. I only recently found some here in our area, and we're in the States! Maybe one day it will get to Zambia.