Let´s go to work

Today was my first day of work at my Chilean job. It was an adventure. Let's start at the beginning. I awoke quite early to prepare for my trip to where I would be working. Last night, I studied the metro map and wrote down directions to where I would be going. Although I feared I would lose my way, I acted like I knew what I was doing. Apparently it paid off. When you dress appropriately and walk at a purposeful pace, people tend to think you know what you're doing. Case in point: TWO people asked ME for directions today. I almost couldn't believe it. In my mind, I wanted to say, "Can't you tell that I'm a poor gringo from a small town that is lost in this big city on his first day?" What came out of my mouth wasn't exactly that. "Sí, por alla," I said, "Yes, that way." It worked! I fooled them into thinking I knew what I was talking about. In fact, I DID know the answers to their questions. How exciting. A third person approached me and asked me for the time. Success again! In that manner, the day begin well.

Work was exhausting, but a great experience. I'm happy to continue in it. Pictures of my work neighborhood are below, but I won't go into detail about my work day just yet. There's much more to discuss. What I will say of my work day is that I had the opportunity to meet a new friend for lunch. We found each other well, despite my lack of cell phone in the street, and went to a restaurant nearby. I found him to be a great person and hoped that I would have the chance to see him again. What surprised me is that I DID see him again the very same day. I felt so at home in the city when he recognized me in the subway and we chatted on the ride home.

I've also included some photos of food products below. I was able to go grocery shopping for the first time. Disclaimer: what follows are not complaints per se. I'm merely pointing out the differences in the culture. I'm sure I will find much more differences at a later time.

Firstly the food selections are slightly different. I had expected this. Proof below is a bag of mayo. Yes, a bag of mayonnaise. Buyers have the option of purchasing a jar, bag, or packet. I think that sounds smart. I wonder when this idea will come to the US. Secondly, I found it a bit humorous that the mushroom brand is my name.

The real difference comes from the atmosphere and process. Going to the "mega mercado" seems to be a grand event. You even have to pay for parking. The preferred attire is somewhere between Wal-mart and Target. It normally quite busy at the grocery store. Cashiers seem indifferent to their existence, and I neither received a greeting nor a response to mine. This seems odd given my experiences in other stores here. Shopping is not as easy as passing by the appropriate sections and choosing your items. My first stop was in the produce. After gathering your items in a bag, you must wait in a line for an attendant to weigh the items and supply you with a sticker price for each bag. Luckily, I caught a break in the line and was able to complete this process relatively quickly.

On to the meat section. Here, things became a bit more complicated. Although one can purchase frozen meat items in single or small packs, cold meats are cut on demand. First, a customer should take a number and wait in line. I had only seen this happen in the movies before tonight. I was able to shop around in some other areas while I waited for my number to be called. It's obvious that these people are in no hurry. I probably spent about 20 minutes in this section. Finally I was able to order some meat. After a couple short phrases back and forth, some pointing, and nodding, it turned out OK. Note - the same process would apply for buying bread. Items such as contact lens solution must be purchased at a pharmacy by taking a number and waiting as well. I took the necessary steps in the process only to find out that the smallest bottle of solution, one that would cost no more that $2 in the US, was about $9 in the pharmacy. Eeek. No thanks.

Now for our language lesson of the day. Chileans quite often take English words, shorten them, apply their sing-songy accent, and use them as their own. Apart from the work-related vocabulary I took in today, I also learned something to use around the house. Tupperware is referred to as "tupper". With the accent, it transforms into something like "tap hair". Try it, it's fun.

There should be no shortage of new adventures tomorrow. Stay tuned.