Let's learn some words

I didn’t have Internet access yesterday. Ooopsie doopsie. You guys missed out on some good commentary. That means that I have double the fun today. We might not get to all of it. I had intended to share some stories about the metro. I think I’ll actually try to get some video tomorrow and throw that in there with a whole post dedicated to what was referred to as a “Russian Roulette” today.  Ok, here we go.

I have been learning new words left and right. Unfortunately, I have been forgetting new words left, right, up, and down. In my research at work yesterday, I learned a word that I didn’t even know existed in English. You guys ready for this? Hydrometalúgico – of or relating to hydraulic metal extraction. With all the mining going on in this country, that´s a real thing. Whodathunk?

I also learned some filler words today. “Mish” I think would be similar to “Hmmmph” in English. With a shoulder shrug, it expresses indiference or a surrender of a topic. I also learned that ducks don’t “Quack” here. They “Wack”. That sounds more like the real thing. When is the last time you heard a duck pronounce a Q? The “wack” is employed similarly to Homer Simpson’s “Dope!” in colloquial conversation. Speaking of that guy, here’s a flyer I found in the lobby of the building I’m in today. Why didn´t we have this in Laramie?

While we’re at it, here’s a picture of the view from the balcony. The city is usually covered in some sort of smog that is washed away each time it rains. It´s not too dirty, however. Unless you stare of into the distance and only manage to see the blurry mountain range, you wouldn´t notice it.

Here’s a picture of a key on my keyboard at work that is constantly giving me troubles. It sits right where the enter key should be. Nobody told me about that. I’m still trying to get used to it. Also, the accent mark key (not that it’s used in English) is in a different spot. Arrrgh. Oh well. That is the least of my worries though.

I have a couple more things to discuss such as new years celebration practices, people watching, and the heat, but I’m about ready for bed.

Before I go, I’d like to make an open ended question to find out why a certain practice exists here. In almost every smaller store and in every bar here, a customer must first wait in line at the cashier to pay for an item. Then they take their receipt to the other side of the store to retrieve the item. In some corner stores, a third step involves finding out the price from another person before hand. I wonder why things are this way. I asked two people, and they didn’t know why. It frustrated me today. Does anyone have any insight into this practice? Perhaps there is a reason behind this process. For now, it just seems like a waste of time. I don’t like it.

Stay tuned for more updates tomorrow.