*For those of you who don't know, my posts from now until August-ish will be reflective of my experiences as a U.S. Consulate summer intern, and as a temporary resident of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. :)
__________ (fill in the blank with a verb) in foreign places...
pretty much, i think, doing almost anything (eating, dancing, sleeping, relaxing, worshipping, worrying, etc.) in a foreign place is going to be a little bit different. Maybe that's why I really like being in different places - I get tired of "routine" (though I like familiarity - careful, there's a difference there), and so just being able to do things a little differently here excites me.
Take talking, for example. When I was standing in line to buy my fruit, deodorant and detergent today, I had to really think about how I was going to ask the cashier if his store would accept my American dollars (I had regrettably failed to exchange for enough pesos at the bank). I never would have given my words a second thought if I'd been standing in line at Kroger or Meijer back in Michigan - but simply by virtue of being here, everything seems a bit new (including, I have to say, the buying of deodorant. I can imagine that some of the Mexican customers in H.E.B., which is the Texas/Mexican border equivalent of Meijer, were laughing inside as I spent about 2-3 minutes really trying to comprehend what each deodorant brand really had going for it. In Michigan, I would have swiped up the most familiar brand, but here, once again, everything is new :)
I think I'm finally breaking it in with my co-workers too. One thing that was worrying me was that they might take my "quietness" the wrong way (you know, how sometimes shy people are thought to be proud? Pride and Prejudice, anyone?). In reality, it's because I just simply don't speak Spanish that well, so I can't respond as often as I'd like to. I'm hoping that time and practice will take care of the language barrier (sometimes it pangs me when they have to break into English because I don't understand something - I want to be able to respond in Spanish!). Of course, they are all very friendly, which is a language within itself, and really helps.
Ok, time to go chow down a bit. I'll try to tell more specific stories later. Love to all.
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4 comments:
Ok, I definitely spend a good deal more than 2-3 minutes staring at the wall of brands when buying things like deodorant. Don't you remember the time with the different lotions at Meijers? I say, if you can get your deodorant in under 5 minutes you're doing just fine.
Good to hear from you, Cat! I like your thoughts. Keep posting your wild mexican adventure!! Love you.
it always takes awhile to really bond with new coworkers and friends. glad to hear it's been a great experience so far!! =)
(note to self - never go grocery shopping with hattie to buy anything involving fragrances...haha)
what is deodorant?
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