Getting it Right

[Michele]

There are a lot of things that frustrate me, day to day, in my new home country. The inability of shopkeepers to keep an appropriate amount of change in the cash register. Mind numbing lines at the bank. The impossibility of completing a task without having to make three or four trips in an attempt to have ALL the proper documentation required to say...blow your nose. "The Blank Stare" (you know the one I mean) in response to a question, perfectly executed and elucuted in Spanish. There are hundreds of cultural idiosyncrasies that, if you try to fight them or do things "the right way like we do in America", will make you run screaming back whence you came.
Read more of my rambling here.

[SUNBABY]

I think prices are higher here because wages are higher..but I do get some great sales...and the poor get food stamps. Fuel costs here are higher too..so I heard. I'd rather make minumum wage here than 8 bucks a day..It balances out. I also doubt Mexico has to worry about lawsuits if a product is tainted or a customer slips on aisle 4. Of course, it's great not to be ripped off by the electric company with no recourse too.

[PlayadelSoul]

The "blank stare" is something I have grown accustomed to. I even get it on the telephone. I always ask anyone within earshot if they understood what I said. "How was my pronunciation?" They assure me that it was fine. Sometimes, the person on the other end will say "we can speak in English, if you want." I hate that.

[redhairgirl1]

Originally Posted by SUNBABY

I think prices are higher here because wages are higher..but I do get some great sales...and the poor get food stamps. Fuel costs here are higher too..so I heard. I'd rather make minumum wage here than 8 bucks a day..It balances out. I also doubt Mexico has to worry about lawsuits if a product is tainted or a customer slips on aisle 4. Of course, it's great not to be ripped off by the electric company with no recourse too.

Damn! I am poor?

[SUNBABY]

Originally Posted by redhairgirl1

Damn! I am poor?

Well, you are supposed to be!

[Michele]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

The "blank stare" is something I have grown accustomed to. I even get it on the telephone. I always ask anyone within earshot if they understood what I said. "How was my pronunciation?" They assure me that it was fine. Sometimes, the person on the other end will say "we can speak in English, if you want." I hate that.

Seriously? If you get the blank stare, what hope do the rest of us have!? You can actually speak the language. I'm just winging it most times.

[SUNBABY]

Originally Posted by PlayadelSoul

The "blank stare" is something I have grown accustomed to. I even get it on the telephone. I always ask anyone within earshot if they understood what I said. "How was my pronunciation?" They assure me that it was fine. Sometimes, the person on the other end will say "we can speak in English, if you want." I hate that.

have you tried knocking on their heads yelling " hellooooo, is anybody in there? "

[jamnkats]

I have had the blank stare absolutely EVERYWHERE in Mexico and don't think it has anything to do with the tourism and/or Euros here. I think it is the white face or the obvious one-of-these-things-is-not-like-another that occurs when any foreigner (and that would be a Chilango in Merida) appears before a local. When they see our white faces, our little gueros accompanying us, a little switch automagically goes off in their heads and the expectation is English or something unintelligible. So even when your Spanish is perfect, the first thing the expectation is "the following will be unintelligible to your ears because this is a foreigner". When I get the blank stare I immediately repeat, exactly as I said it the first time, and it is magically understood (along with everything else that comes afterwards).

Now, there is a 2nd blank stare that happens when the message has been perfectly understood but the receiver just doesn't either know what to do or just doesn't have the energy to deal with it. And that is a different blank stare all together. I call it the "if I look completely confused maybe they'll go bother someone else with their nonsense".

Hope tomorrow is better!

[susango]

Wow, I'm excited about the fruits and vegetables and look forward to eating more of them in Mexico. Now I just have to convince the hubby. They look fabulous! Those are the littlest red peppers I have ever seen.

[rodman]

There is nothing like whipping up your own guacamole, and salsa, and snacking on your patio or porch, overlooking the blue Caribe, while in your condo or timeshare, while on vacay. We also love the bakery products available at the Mercados......big selections, good pricing, tasty eats.....
We typically will eat breakfast and lunch in the room, and then go out for dinner.....too much weight gain happens if you eat out all the time!

[Michele]

I never really appreciated guacamole until I wanted to make it for my MIL back in NY. It was soooo freakin' expensive, I actually had to think about it!

[maestranba]

I think my husband has figured out the blank stare. We've noticed that whenever we ask a question (in perfect or almost perfect Spanish) like directions, or whether or not a place is open, etc., the blank stare is followed by an answer that should have been "I don't know." But they'll NEVER say they don't know. Instead, we get an answer that always turns out to be wrong. You should have seen us driving around trying to find the new police station last Feb. Instead of just saying they didn't know exactly how to get there, they'd argue amongst themselves first, then give us directions that were somewhat correct, but it took us 3 stops before the guy at the Pemex finally headed us into the right neighborhood! I look at it as if they're trying to be helpful by giving you an answer as opposed to saying they have no clue. But my husband says he thinks they just like to mess with us and laugh at us after we've gone!