As I wrote in my latest article, South Americans are always willing to help, whether you ask or not, and I sincerely love them for that. But sometimes it seems that their willingness to be helpful far exceeds there ability to be helpful.
Many a times, we've asked for direction to the bank, to a supermarket, to the post office, etc. Only about one person in 20 says, "sorry, I don't know." Unfortunately, that guy is one of the few who actually knows what he knows, if you get my meaning. Rarely do we ever arrive at our destination.
The ritual, which is funny the next day but never at the moment, goes something like this :
- "Excuse me sir," we ask the tall moustachioed man, "we're looking for the nearest post office. Do you know where it is ?"
- "Oh yes !," he answers excitedly. "You need to walk two blocks up this road, and he points, then turn left at the red light. Then walk one more block and you'll see it."
We thank him and follow his directions and find three pollo restaurants and four stores selling shoes. We then ask a kindly-looking woman who's waiting for a bus.
- "Walk up this way one block, then turn right and walk two blocks."
- "Are you sure ? We just came from that direction. And we didn't see it."
- "Oh, it's there, I'm sure of it." So we follow her directions, and we discreetly walk past the man with the moustache. And we ask a student standing on the corner.
- "Oooh, it's far away." And she points in the opposite direction of Mr. Moustache and Mrs. Kindly." Just walk straight for about 10 or 15 minutes on this road."
Guess what ? Was the post office there ? If you could see our shaking heads and slumped shoulders, you'd know the answer.
So we give up and walk in a different direction, perpendicularly away from Miss Student, Mr. Moustache, and Mrs. Kindly, searching instead for something to eat. And five minutes later, we find the post office.
And of course that post office couldn't send our letters...but that's another story.
The next day, we ask an elderly man for directions to a bus stop.
- "Well, I'm not sure. Let's go ask someone else." I could have kissed him.
Many a times, we've asked for direction to the bank, to a supermarket, to the post office, etc. Only about one person in 20 says, "sorry, I don't know." Unfortunately, that guy is one of the few who actually knows what he knows, if you get my meaning. Rarely do we ever arrive at our destination.
The ritual, which is funny the next day but never at the moment, goes something like this :
- "Excuse me sir," we ask the tall moustachioed man, "we're looking for the nearest post office. Do you know where it is ?"
- "Oh yes !," he answers excitedly. "You need to walk two blocks up this road, and he points, then turn left at the red light. Then walk one more block and you'll see it."
We thank him and follow his directions and find three pollo restaurants and four stores selling shoes. We then ask a kindly-looking woman who's waiting for a bus.
- "Walk up this way one block, then turn right and walk two blocks."
- "Are you sure ? We just came from that direction. And we didn't see it."
- "Oh, it's there, I'm sure of it." So we follow her directions, and we discreetly walk past the man with the moustache. And we ask a student standing on the corner.
- "Oooh, it's far away." And she points in the opposite direction of Mr. Moustache and Mrs. Kindly." Just walk straight for about 10 or 15 minutes on this road."
Guess what ? Was the post office there ? If you could see our shaking heads and slumped shoulders, you'd know the answer.
So we give up and walk in a different direction, perpendicularly away from Miss Student, Mr. Moustache, and Mrs. Kindly, searching instead for something to eat. And five minutes later, we find the post office.
And of course that post office couldn't send our letters...but that's another story.
The next day, we ask an elderly man for directions to a bus stop.
- "Well, I'm not sure. Let's go ask someone else." I could have kissed him.
Funny:D
ReplyDeleteIn India I learned to always ask for a second (third, fourth, etc.) opinion from the next person I saw. If it conflicted with the last one, it meant that more thourough research was on the way before I started spending my feet... Actually, the new skill still works in Europe, hehehe - whatever you want to know, if you don't like the answer, ask someone else until you get the answer you like or decide to give up:D