A Little Bit Of This, A Little Bit Of That

Bear with me, as this post won't appear to have any rhyme or reason.  I just thought I would jot down a few things that have been going on with us the past few weeks :)

Funnies:
-I can't tell you how many times I've been asked if my hair is natural.  (Hello people, I've got blonde highlights and a modified ombre going on!) And Brazilians are always surprised when I tell them it's not!  I guess they just automatically associate Americans with lighter hair.  Oh, and on a similar note, last night, Nick was asked if his hair would be Carter's color (aka practically white) if he grew it out, haha.
-One of our friends told us how neat it was that all Americans are so thin and pretty.  Nick and I replied with a joint 'What?!' I'd say America is known for having some of the bigger people in the world.  But I'll take it as a compliment because our friend said the only Americans he's seen are the missionaries here and actors/actresses in American films.
-I was doing some crafts with some teenage girls and we needed some tape.  I went and got a roll of scotch tape and handed the dispenser to one of the girls.  She sat their with it for a minute, turned it over and over, and then finally asked how it worked.  She said she'd never seen a tape dispenser before!
-We've had a few friends tell us that they sometimes have trouble understanding us because we speak 'correct' Portuguese.  I'll take this as a good sign that our tutoring is going well, but it's definitely funny to hear a native Portuguese speaker tell us that.  People often speak incorrectly, and much more informally, on the 'street' and we are trying to learn how to balance correct grammar with common phrasing.
-When you spend a long time with someone during the day, it's not uncommon for them to ask you to take a bath at their house!  For example, we spent last Saturday in a nearby town for a day of ministry.  After games/crafts/conversations during the day we were having an informal dinner and then a worship service at night.  Most everyone took a shower at the pastor's house and couldn't believe Nick, Carter, and I were content to just change our clothes.  We found out later, this is a common practice...I guess I'll take a towel in my bag next time so I don't appear rude (and so I don't have to share the community towel...)

Happenings:
-Carter started back school this week after his winter break.  (Don't let the word 'winter' confuse you...)  During the break, he'd grown accustomed to waking up at 10:30 every day (yes, 10:30!!), so 7am has been coming pretty early :(  Also, his lead teacher is no longer with his class due to a college internship, so he is adjusting to having a new face/teacher during the day.
-We've been feeling a little more comfortable with food and drinks here.  (For example, not being as afraid to drink water at the gym or only rinsing some fruits with tap water instead of a bleach and filtered water mixture).  However, with lettuce we still go through the very lengthy process of soaking/scrubbing it in bleach and filtered water and then doing the same in just filtered water.  We were thinking of icturesthe process as our stomachs are getting stronger, but last night as I was doing the first rinse, I saw a larva squirming around on one of the leaves - yuck!  Spiders and dirt are present/expected most every time, but I freaked a little with the worm, just imagining accidentally eating it and it growing and having worm babies in my belly....Let's just say there was extra prayer and petition for a salad last night!
-A lot of friends have been introducing us to their friends and families.  Sometimes it seems like people are just super excited to be friends with the Americans in town, but we're totally okay with that as it is opening up more and more doors to relationships :)
-I've complimented two of my friends on their earrings and one gave me her pair the next time we saw each other, and the the other went and bought me a pair similar to hers....so sweet!

And now some pictures of our little dinosaur: