So over the last few weeks I have noticed/verified a few more things that are typical here in Colombia that make me smile. Sometimes I think it's weird and sometimes I think it's genius, but I always smile!
I have mentioned some things before like showers, drinks, and having a portero. Colombians have a social rule that you MUST take a shower in the morning. Diego told me kids get made fun of if they don´t and I thought maybe he was lied to as a kid so that he would take showers in the morning.....but no I asked other people in the office and they all said the same thing. I also mentioned that generally drinks with meals are only drunk after the meal is finished. I can´t quite adapt to that especially depending on the type of food I am eating. And finally, sometimes I am locked inside my apartment building because I have to wait for the portero (doorman) to unlock the door for me. Diego is supposed to be making a copy of the building door key, but I have yet to get one.
First, there is a different way of pointing down here. All of us have had are parents tell us at one time or another that we are not supposed to point (especially in church). Colombians have found a way around that. For the most part they point, not with there hands, but with there lips!!!! It's a little funny to watch....but it is a more subtle way to point. They also sometimes use a combination of eye and head movement which Diego likes to do a lot. He looks at me then looks and nods toward a specific spot. At first, you might think it's a little bossy or weird, but it's all done so nicely that it feels fine after you get used to it.
Second, Colombians make the bed weird!!!! Hehehehe!!!! This is something Diego and I "discuss" often. Colombians, in general, like to align the bottom of the sheets and blankets exactly at the bottom edge of the bed. So your toes can easily lose the blankets and be exposed to the cold air. Diego thinks that I am trapping his feet by tucking in the sheets and blanket at the bottom of the bed, but I just want to make sure our feet stay covered. It makes sense that they wouldn't want to tuck the sheets and blankets, most of the country is in warm, hot, or at least mild temperatures at night.....they don't need to keep out the "cold, night air" like we do in the US and other parts of the world.
As you know I started my new job 2 weeks ago and I was quite shocked when I discovered they have a señora that works at the office all day. She cleans the place which isn´t that strange, but she also serves us water, coffee, or tea and does the dishes as well. It´s quite strange being waited on at work. I do have to watch out that she doesn´t pick up my coffee cup until after I have finished it (especially if it is from the restaurant across the street and I paid for it). Can you imagine being waited on at work? It takes getting used to, because she cleans around you while you are working so for people who like their space and want to be left alone it´s a little difficult.
This next one is pretty funny. So Manizales is mainly one long main street that goes from my side of town to the centro (not actually the center of town). The main street has two lanes for each direction and is normally very busy since there are businesses or apartments that line the entire street. Apparently anyone may stop their car, go in reverse, park, and do god knows what else as long as their hazard lights are on. It´s quite funny to see sometimes because there are dozens of busses that run on that road constantly starting and stopping in the right lane along with taxis. So to see these people parking their cars in the lane like it´s no issue whatsoever is quite funny. So remember, hazard lights allow you to do ANYTHING you want while driving!
A not so large thing, but still quite funny is that everyone here (taxi drivers, store personnel, etc) always asks me how I handle the cold.....like it is really really cold here. I would like to point out it probably hasn´t been below 50F at any point in time here (night included). What I don´t seem to understand is how they don´t say anything about the rain!!! It rains everyday!!! I guess in time I will probably start to feel the cold like they do....but I don´t know if I can ignore the rain like they can.
So last weekend Diego and I went to my very first professional football (soccer) game. It was absolutely AMAZING. I will talk about that more in another blog, but one thing I will mention in this one is that Colombians show displeasure very strangely to me......it actually is quite the opposite of what I would do. Everytime they show displeasure (not including direct insults though yelling) it sounds to me like they are being positive! For example, at the football game there was one player on the opposing team that used to play for the home team.....every time he touched the ball the entire stadium would whistle. Like Dad´s whistle when it was time to come in from playing in the neighborhood when we were little. This is not something good....that meant something very bad....they didn´t like him!!!!! Another example is from my trip during spring break. When a theater performance is late in the Colombia, they don´t talk louder or say anything.....they clap! Yes, an entire theater was clapping to get the performers to come on stage! I have to admit there signs of displeasure are quite nicer than ours..........at least to my ears!
Finally and this is COMPLETELY hypothetical for obvious legal reasons, say that you knew someone that could magically take off 10 years on your driver´s license and every other public record. Would you do it? Just a question I would like to throw out there to the cyber world.
No comments:
Post a Comment