Dumpster diving- this appears to be a popular activity here. Those who participate are generally fairly well dressed and sometimes carry briefcases as well as bags. Maybe it's generalizing too much but I think this may be a carryover from the Soviet days when consumer goods were scarce and truly one man's trash was another man's treasure. ( I have no idea what the unemployment rate is but you could find it in an almanac or on the internet I'm sure.) James and Susanne have developed the habit of carefully laying usable items on the top of the dumpster or on the ground next to it and they're gone within an hour. There isn't individual garbage pickup. It's done the same way they do it in the rural south. There are locations of several relatively small dumpsters and people just carry their garbage from their homes and put it in the dumpsters which are emptied twice a week.
Besom- a broom made by tying a bunch of twigs to a handle. I learned the definition when I taught early morning seminary long ago but I thought it was a primitive tool. Every day we see people here using them to sweep the sidewalks. It's a clean city. There was a little old man with very wrinkled skin who swept the sidewalk in front of a couple of nearby university buildings every day. We haven't seen him in a few days. We're worried about him. Funny how you can become attached to someone you don't even know just because they become a part of your daily routine somehow- like elevator operators or cashiers....
Laughter- as I mentioned before, people here rarely look you in the eye and more rarely smile. Occasionally I will hear a couple of people laughing and it sounds so good! It's a gentle, sincere laugh- not like the forced exaggerated laugh on a sitcom soundtrack. I have heard it from people walking in the park where we walk every day and I heard it from the people sitting in the Helsinki temple. President Hinckley (How does a 96-year old man do what he does?!) was his usual sweet self at the dedication. The laughs were not just responses to his humor but also messages of our love of him.
1 comment:
Russ and Mary,
I am so enjoying your blogs, and finding out all the neat things you are experiencing! Thanks for the news. Latest here - My brother Jim has just had a heart procedure - an angiogram that also included putting a stent in one of the heart arteries (it was 99% occluded). He had had a mini-heart attack (just a couple of seconds), but thank goodness he thought to have it checked. Anyway, he comes home from the hospital this afternoon and I think all will be well. Again, thanks for all the fun news! Take care. Our love to all.
- Sue
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