One might think that travel time from Miami International Aiport to Santiago, Chile could not possibly exceed 15 hours. One might also think that any animal lying motionless on the sidewalk could never be offered as a gift for friends and family. Furthermore, such a thinker may be so inclined to regard toilet paper as an obligation rather than the personal preference of janitorial suppliers. One will be wrong. On all accounts. Welcome to Chile.
After a snappy 5-hour layover in Lima, Peru, which, coincidentally, followed a 1.5 hour layover in Costa Rica before the 3.5 hour flight to Peru, we boarded the plane for the last 4.5 hour leg of our flight into Santiago. Logisitics aside, (after all, why not fly to Costa Rica from Miami first? Thanks TACA airlines) the journey down to Chile wasn`t all that bad. In fact, I may have even giddily regarded it as entertaining. And now that I´ve been here for over a week, the details of the arrival are fading and I´m far more concerned with lessons learned affecting the here and now. Like the toilet paper and prevalence of dead animals, for instance.
You may or may not find my first few days worth of knowledge interesante, but regardless, here they are:
1.)Can't flush toilet paper in Latin American toilets. Not the ones I can afford anyway. I thought I was cultural when I had to use a public toilet in France. Now I know better.
2.)Speaking of toilet paper, I've learned it`s better to verify its presence in the bathroom before doing one's business. Sometimes these Chilean folk dont feel the need or urgency to keep any in the bathroom at all, or they might just keep it in a paper towel bin beside the sink so you have to grab the sheets before you enter the stall. Can be problematic.
3.)There are lots of stray dogs that I feel sorry for but not enough to pet or bring back to the hostel. They tend to look mutt-y and lay around on the sidewalks. Occasionally one will bark and wag it`s tail, but is usually forgotten about by the time the next mangy one makes an appearance. A few nights ago, I was sitting on a bench waiting for my friend to buy cigarettes when a little girl and her grandmother approached us and pointed at a still puppy that I believe they were suggesting we purchase. When I politely explained to them that it wasnt breathing, (or moving for God sakes) the grandma reassured that "Oh no, he rest now, but he play much." Right.
4.) Don`t worry dog-lovers. Cats get shafted here too. Supposedly the stray dogs eat them when they need a snack. I`ve seen one live cat, but with about 15 minutes left in said life.
5.) 3 years of middle school spanish, 4 years of highschool spanish, and 2.5 years of college spanish are not enough to speak Spanish. Or understand Spanish. Or even sign Spanish. They are enough to qualify you to wear a sign on your head that says ``Speak slowly. I no know.`` Fortunately, we got a list of curse and dirty words so that when our students insult us either to our face or behind our back, we`ll understand. Sort of. Stay tuned for Week 2.
After a snappy 5-hour layover in Lima, Peru, which, coincidentally, followed a 1.5 hour layover in Costa Rica before the 3.5 hour flight to Peru, we boarded the plane for the last 4.5 hour leg of our flight into Santiago. Logisitics aside, (after all, why not fly to Costa Rica from Miami first? Thanks TACA airlines) the journey down to Chile wasn`t all that bad. In fact, I may have even giddily regarded it as entertaining. And now that I´ve been here for over a week, the details of the arrival are fading and I´m far more concerned with lessons learned affecting the here and now. Like the toilet paper and prevalence of dead animals, for instance.
You may or may not find my first few days worth of knowledge interesante, but regardless, here they are:
1.)Can't flush toilet paper in Latin American toilets. Not the ones I can afford anyway. I thought I was cultural when I had to use a public toilet in France. Now I know better.
2.)Speaking of toilet paper, I've learned it`s better to verify its presence in the bathroom before doing one's business. Sometimes these Chilean folk dont feel the need or urgency to keep any in the bathroom at all, or they might just keep it in a paper towel bin beside the sink so you have to grab the sheets before you enter the stall. Can be problematic.
3.)There are lots of stray dogs that I feel sorry for but not enough to pet or bring back to the hostel. They tend to look mutt-y and lay around on the sidewalks. Occasionally one will bark and wag it`s tail, but is usually forgotten about by the time the next mangy one makes an appearance. A few nights ago, I was sitting on a bench waiting for my friend to buy cigarettes when a little girl and her grandmother approached us and pointed at a still puppy that I believe they were suggesting we purchase. When I politely explained to them that it wasnt breathing, (or moving for God sakes) the grandma reassured that "Oh no, he rest now, but he play much." Right.
4.) Don`t worry dog-lovers. Cats get shafted here too. Supposedly the stray dogs eat them when they need a snack. I`ve seen one live cat, but with about 15 minutes left in said life.
5.) 3 years of middle school spanish, 4 years of highschool spanish, and 2.5 years of college spanish are not enough to speak Spanish. Or understand Spanish. Or even sign Spanish. They are enough to qualify you to wear a sign on your head that says ``Speak slowly. I no know.`` Fortunately, we got a list of curse and dirty words so that when our students insult us either to our face or behind our back, we`ll understand. Sort of. Stay tuned for Week 2.
