It is so true that life is the same everywhere.
People are people wherever you are.
Last night we were invited to our neighbors to celebrate a birthday.
Natalia and Eleo are our landlords and they along with their kids Jessica and Vasquo live in the second floor of the house. Needless to say, we feel close because we can hear every Portuguese word through the walls.
Yesterday was Jessica's 16th birthday. There was Natalia's parents, her sister, brother-in-law and their three kids, her cousin, Margharita (who is our housekeeper), with her husband. As we gathered around the cake they began to sing "Happy Birthday". It was practically the same melody as in English, but I couldn't follow, they added some crazy clapping thing.
It was fun watching their family dynamic. They used trick candles so she kept blowing them out. The adults would yell at Jessica's brother periodically as he would "act up", just like a another kid I know. The cousins picked on Jessica, even smearing cake on her face. The adults laughed and joked with each other and the kids. Everyone was having a good time.
Very normal crazy family stuff.
Today we had the cable installed. I really said that wrong. We had gone to the phone company about 2 weeks ago and signed up for this cable/wireless package and they called me this morning at 8:00. Asked if I'd be home, then said they'd be here in 20 minutes. I was not about to say no, it might have been another 2 weeks.
It wasn't anything surprising, but it did take all day long. The most memorable and profound moment came when the "cable guy" bent down to work on the telephone line.
He was not an obese man, most Portuguese are fairly slender, but this man had some bulk.
It must be the international work man rule to wear the loose fitting low hung jeans.
People are weird everywhere.
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