People are nice, except at Supermercado

I have discovered that the one gauranteed way to ruin my day is to go to the supermercado to buy groceries. I have been to 4 different stores, in 4 different places, and they all are full of people who are dumbfounded by how stupid I am to be living here and not have better Spanish. I am starting to get used to the systems, like going to a counter to get your bread and produce weighed, and getting a number ticket at the deli counter (and cheese counter, and fish, etc.) What I'm not used to is that they say the number superfast and not very loud and if you don't shove down everyone around you and sprint up w/ your ticket, they go to the next number. No sopa parati! On the few occassions that I have been aggressive enough to get waited on, I am then stymied by them askingmereallyreallyquicklywhatdoIwantwhichkindofhamwhichonesmokedornot? and I stand there, looking and feeling stupid, and just point and say, "Esto, por favor?" and then they ask me something else, reallyreallyfast, and I just say, "Esto, por favor?" until they tire of me and give me esto.

Luckily, however, all the mean people seem to be working in the supermercados all day, because people on the street and in most other places are really nice. I went shopping for Futon mattresses the other day, and was doing really well understanding the guy there, because he didn't ask me whatdoyouwantreallyreallyquickly, and this lady comes over and starts talking to me in English. I was like, No, no English, por favor! Necesito a practicar Espanol! Necesito a practicar mucho! And she laughed and spoke to me in Spanish (mostly).

The people at the hotel have been really nice, and they use slightly more complicated words every day. They make faces at Vivi at desayuno, and don't make a big deal about the mess she makes.

I also did not get lost yesterday. First day since we've been here. I had to drive around with the map in my lap, and stop every mile or 2 to check it, but I am starting to understand the cluster of streets that pass for the insanity that is driving here.


I have also learned a lesson about buying things. I have been accustomed to return policies that require a receipt, sometimes within a certain amount of time of purchase. Don't like it? Return it. Doesn't fit? Return it. Cat threw up on it? Wipe it off and return it. Here, no such luck. Give us your address and phone number, and the item back, and we might send you money. Next month. Call us if you haven't heard in 2. So I'm hesitant to buy a cup of coffee. If it has rat poison in it and I get deathly ill? Too bad! You bought it!

So now I'm off to fill in my absentee ballot. I can't say that the debates last night (thank god for cnn) were impressive, but I'll be damned if I'm letting Ohio pick another dumbass for president.

Hasta manana,

JE