Grocery shopping

Alright - I did it - my fridge now has a small bag with my groceries in it. Whew! The stores here are not ALL that much different than at home. They have a big chain that has everything (like meijer), and I was told where to go, and that it was two floors.

SO - I get my money, strap my keys onto my belt loop and confidently start the short hop across a couple streets to get to the store. I find the entrance, walk on in, grab a basket and cannot for the life of me find the food. I found the camping supplies, the home decorating section, there was a shoe department, a toy department, a computer-electronic section, a gardening section, everything one could ever want at a grocery store. EXCEPT food.

So, I start looking for the second floor, basket in hand, trying as hard as I can not to look like the American who can´t read a lick of Catalan. I wander the perimeter, walk up and down all the isles, into the bathrooms, around the cash registers, past the security guards, and still can´t find that elevator to the second floor. So - I leave. I walk out, go around the corner and enter again thru a different entrance. At this point, there´s no hiding it. I´m an american lost in a supposed grocery store.

Again - down the isles, around the store, pretending to look at all of these great things they have - office supplies, linens, not really interested at all and getting pretty confused. Then, behind the sporting goods, before the childrens clothes, there´s a small sign with an arrow. And I follow it.

There it is, on the horizon, beaming like the rising sun - AN ESCALATOR!!!! But it goes down. This whole time I was looking for the second floor, when I was ON the second floor. The escalator is like a ramp, so not stairs, a moving ramp. And I have sandles with no grip, so I ski down the escalator and directly into the produce section!!!! YAY!!! AVACADOS!!!!! (they were on my list!)

The produce section isnt´refridgerated, it´s just like an outdoor market, except indoors. There are fruit flies, and people sniffing and poking and prodding these poor vegetables. I pick up what I need, and begin to look for the meat and cheese - which happens to be in the isle next to bread . of course. (??)

Joe, you wouldnt´survive here. they dont´sell blocks of cheese. Well, unless you get the whole block from the deli, but I´m not fluent enough to tell them that I only want part of it - so nope - sliced cheese only. Everything is wrapped up and was cut fresh that morning (except fro the prepackaged ham), even the lettuce.

I collect my list (ham, cheese, bread, avacado, lettuce, green pepper, etc) and head to the check out - I know exactly where it is, having circled it enough times for them to think I was plotting something. Plop my basket on the conveyor belt and get ready to pay when the lady says something abrupt and direct and puts my produce back in the basket. She then rings up everything else and gives me a total. WHAT? I can´t have my green pepper?? What´s wrong with my green pepper???

Apparently, as I was skiing down the escalator, I slolmned past the counter there that I needed to bring my produce to. They measure it, weigh it and slap a sticker on it. So- BACK to the first (second) floor I go! I sllide down the escalator, spot the counter (it´s open! Not a person in line!!) and by the time I arrived at the bottom of the bunny hill there was a line of about 4 people, all wanting only HALF the watermelon, or only 3.5 pounds of oranges. UGH. meanwhile, my groceries that were not produce are chilling up at the register where I checked out already (sans produce). I wait. And wait. And wait. when it´s my turn it takes less that 30 seconds for the lady (who was not thrilled to be standing at the counter at the bottom of the bunny hill) to slap on the stickers and then up the stairs I go, bounding like a gazelle- tickled pink that I´ve done my grocery shopping!!! I head to the same register (as that´s where my other groceries are) and am beat there by a family. Yep. A family. And when a family goes shopping THEY GO SHOPPING!!

So, again, I wait, and wait. And finally pay. The cashier was having the best time with my fumbles, but that´s okay. I was too. :) I was just excited to be able to have cheese on my salad and more than ham and cheese on my bread.

Total, I think it cost me 5 or 7 € which isnt´all that bad. I picked up a box of wine (50 cents) and some water (40 cents - how this is logical, I dont´know) and made myself dinner. Just how I wanted it. And when I get home today, I´ll have another meal of exactly what I want. despite all of the hassle, I made it. Next time - I won´t have to ski so many times :) with every little bit, it starts to feel more comfortable. I think having my own wine, and bread and cheese (Gouda - yummmmm!) will help to make me more at home. Today I get to put away my laundry and change the sheets on my bed. All normal things for someone who lives in a place. LIVES. So, I´m getting accustomed to LIVING here. And probably as soon as it all feels right I´ll have to leave, go off and find another place with another grocery store and another way of doing things where they probably speak another language. But I guess that´s how things go. In the mean time, I´ll keep you up to date with every adventure (no matter how small) so that you can live here too from the comfort of your own home. :o)