When I go shopping, I usually like to browse and check things out for myself and wander a little. I don't like people following me around or asking me tons of questions. If I need help, I'll ask for it.
Frank and I went to the fruit & vegetable market the other day and it's so funny because they have about 10 or so stalls with pretty much the exact same thing in each one, maybe 1 different veggie or fruit in a different stall. Well, we got there and we started looking at things and of course the vendors up front ask you what you want, what can they get for you, etc. That's nice, but I can see everything and I'd rather just look for what I want and take a few more minutes to process things. Also, with fruits & veggies I like to look them over and touch them to make sure they're of the quality that I want and not just the cheapest price for whatever they'll give me.
Apparently I wasn't paying attention to what the guys were saying, but Frank told me later that one of the guys thought we didn't speak Spanish because we were just talking in English to each other (discussing what we wanted and the prices) so he started asking if any of the other guys spoke English. One of them told him that we indeed speak Spanish, but we would talk to him when we were ready. Haha This reminded me of my taxi blog that I just wrote. It's nice to know they're picking up on the cultural differences. I hope they didn't think we were being rude, I just don't like to rushed into buying things, especially something I'm going to eat. Speaking of that, at any little food stand or small restaurant, you really do need to know what you want before you get there and be pushy about it too. I hate that. I like to look at what they have and think about what sounds good at that moment and see if it looks like good quality or not. People get really impatient with that here and the other customers just push me aside and order. Whatever. This is why when there's a menu, I like to have ample time to browse so I can decide on what I want. I just really dislike people who are so pushy about getting you to order quickly without knowing what there is. Is this just me? Haha maybe...
Another thing that kinda bugs me here is the ever-changing bus prices, or should I say the ever-changing charges. It's not that the bus prices are always changing, but the men who work the buses decide to charge you a different price each time trying to get more money. Ugh. Sometimes it sucks to be so white.
Today I was riding the bus and I accidentally gave the guy 10 more Cordobas than what I was supposed to (35 instead of 25 a big difference in price) because I confused myself about the recent price changes and he didn't say anything about it, but just gave me a ticket. I realized this near the end of the trip and I approached the guy and told him what happened. He gave me 7 Cordobas back. I guess I was lucky he gave me anything back, but really, that's not cool. Then, on the next bus to Boaco (I trust the Boaco buses so much more than the Esteli & Matagalpa ones--northern buses), the girl was collecting money and this time I paid 25 Cordobas (same as what the other bus ride was supposed to be) and the girl gave me 1 Cordoba back. The official price is supposed to be 24 Cordobas apparently, but I've just been paying 25 because that's what most people usually pay. I was surprised that she gave me change, but it made me happy that she was being honest and wasn't giving me the gringo price--that sure does get old. I really hate when they overcharge and try to argue and not give back any change. It makes me so mad because it makes me feel like I'm being cheap and demanding my (small) change, but it's really the principle that I'm fighting for, not necessarily the money.
I guess I just miss some of the regulations and standards. I like going to places and seeing the prices posted and not having to guess and ask with hesitation as I know that the quoted prices will surely be too high. This goes along with bartering in the markets. Blah. I wish more things has price tags. This is not to say that things in the U.S. aren't overpriced, just a standard price that's offered to everyone, no matter who you are, is nice.
true that.
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