The water looked gorgeous outside my patio and the beach was full of people celebrating this holiday weekend...
and
Matt and I ran errands to the cell phone provider and the mall.
During my absence in Cartagena, my cell phone mysteriously disappeared. While in the US, Matt and I made the leap from BlackBerry users to iPhones. We brought our iPhones to Colombia and with a sim card are able to use them here.
I just wish it was that simple. Earlier this week I went to Comcel, the cell phone provider with my friend and Spanish teacher, Alice. We attempted to get the iPhone set up and our plan changed. But that didn't happen. Since Matt's name was on the account I was unable to make any changes to the account and in order to do so would need a notarized letter written by Matt giving me permission.
Which brought us to Saturday. Comcel closes at 1:00 pm, Matt rolled in from work at 12:45 pm. Thankfully it is located not even a block away. After our number was called to meet with a representative the language barrier became apparent. It was a struggle. A lot of 'mas despacio' which translates to slower. A lot of running upstairs to make payments for things and back downstairs to meet with our representative. But thankfully, after an hour, and two fried brains, we had one working iPhone. Matt was unable to connect his since he would be starting a new account {before he used only his work cell phone} and they needed to see his Visa and other identification, rather than the Colombian issued cedula.
After lunch we decided to head to the mall to take care of some things on our to-do list. Sarah needed visa pictures taken and Matt needed a hair cut. We also made some purchases for things around the house {more on that later}.
One thing I have learned about the Latin American culture is how they differ from American's in space/contact. We Americans like our space, we don't like to be crowded, and we tend to be uncomfortable with PDA. Latin Americans are very touchy feely, you always greet someone with a cheek kiss, and PDA is everywhere. This cultural phenomenon also shows itself while in line at the store. It took me a long time to get used to this... in fact I'm not used to it and especially after being in America for so long where everyone has respect for each others invisible bubble of space. I ran into a store to pick something up while Matt stayed with our cart of items from another store. I only had two items, but there were only three check out lanes open and the lines were horrendous. So I stood for 25 minutes, in line, sweating, while the woman behind me continually bumped me and found it appropriate to breath down my neck. It's times like these when I am thankful that there is a language barrier, because at about minute 18, non confrontational Sarah was ready to get confrontational. It took me a few moments to calm myself down and gently remind myself that this is all part of the experience. I quickly adjusted to American lifestyle while on my latest rendezvous, so it may take some time to get back in the Latin American flow, but thankfully, time is something I have plenty of...
P.S.
Opening a bottle of red with a handy dandy American wine opener is recommended after a culture shocking afternoon
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