Public Restrooms

Three things I learned to always have with me when I was out and about:

1.  a small amount of toilet paper in a plastic bag
2.  hand sanitizer -- many restrooms have hand soap but no water to wash it off
3.  a small amount of cash -- some places charge to use their restroom (usually just enough to cover the cost of the water)

Public Transportation

Public transportation is common in Latin America.  Public buses are inexpensive but are often cramped.  If you have baggage you might have to pay an additional fare for the space it will take up.  The nice thing about buses is that you can get on and off anywhere; there are few designated bus stops. 

Taxis can be more comfortable and have space for luggage but cost a little extra.  Prices are flexible, but it is helpful if you know what is reasonable.  I usually ask a driver what he would charge, barter a little bit, politely turn him down, and use his lowest price as a point of reference for the next driver I talk to.

Public transportation can be relatively safe if you are wise.  It is best to travel in pairs.  If you split up a larger group, be sure to get the number from the outside of each taxi your group is using.  It is not a bad idea to let the driver know that you are taking down this information. 

It is best to be polite when traveling.  You will get a better rate and feel safer during the ride if you are respectful to the driver and other passengers.  Make polite conversation if you are comfortable with the langauge.  Remember to keep the volume at a low level, and restrict the conversation to the person beside you.

Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping in other countries can be a challenge.  The closest grocery store to where I lived was a small store with only the essentials.  It was about 15 minutes down the mountain.  To complete our shopping for the week, we had to go down into the city, about 45 minutes away, where there were two larger stores.  We usually had to go to both of the larger stores to get everything we needed.  Driving so far away for groceries meant we had to take a cooler with us and had to move quickly through the second store.

Groceries are also packaged and sold differently.  Until very recently milk was only available in plastic bags or waxed cardboard boxes.  If you purchased it in a bag, you had to carefully cut off the corner and pour it into a pitcher.  Milk in plastic containers tastes more like American milk, but is still different because the cows are fed differently.

Eggs are seldom stored refrigerated.  It is important to crack each egg into a small bowl and then pour the contents of that bowl into the recipe.  I have ruined entire batches of cookies by cracking a rotten egg directly into the batter.

Even cereal may not be packaged the same way as it is in the States.  Many American cereals exist, but the mascots are different.  This is true of a few other boxed foods as well.

Pulperias

Pulperias are small stores run out of the front of family homes.  You can find one on every block.  They generally carry snacks and sometimes have baking ingredients.  A few also have hot food certain time of the day.  Customers do not enter pulperias; instead they stand outside and ask for things to be passed to them through the window.

Pulperias carry American sodas as well as some others.  Squirt, orange soda, Manzanita Sol (apple-flavored soda), and ginger ale are common.  They are sold in bottles or bags.  The bottles cost extra, as they can be returned later for a deposit.  If you choose not to purchase the bottle, the person in the pulperia will pour your soda into a clear plastic bag with a straw and may or may not tie a knot in the top.

 (Click on the photograph to see it enlarged in another window.)

 

Fast Food

McDonald's, Church's Chicken, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, and other American fast food chains are common in other countries as well.  Sometimes they are just like in the States.  Sometimes a few things are added or deleted from the menu.  In Honduras nearly every fast food restaurant has an indoor playground and Papa John's are all eat-in.  

My parents sponsored a Compasion International child named Celia.  I was in the country, so a friend and I took her to dinner.  She said she had always looked at the McDonald's at the top of the hill and wanted to eat there.  It was her first time in a restaurant, on an indoor playground, using a flush toilet, and using automatic hand dryers.  She must have spent ten minutes in the bathroom!

Markets

Markets are another common way to buy food, mostly produce.  In some places markets are set up and torn down daily; in other places market days are weekly occurrences.

Most towns and cities also have markets that are somewhat permanent.  They have tables and a roof that are always there, but the merchandise is packed up and taken home each day.  In those markets you can find just about anything.  Marbles, brooms, and stools might be in one booth, while seeds of all sorts and kinds are sold in the next booth over.  There is no rhyme or reason to what is sold where.

These photos are of a produce market.  I believe these were set up a couple of times a week.

(Click on the photograph to see it enlarged in another window.)

 

"to invite"

When inviting someone from a Spanish-speaking culture to dinner, be sure you know what you are offering.  In the Spanish-speaking world when you invite someone, you are implying that you will also pay for them to attend.  You might also be inviting their friends and family. 

My parents sponsored a child, Celia, through Compassion International.  I was in the country, so a friend and I went to visit Celia at her school.  We spent some time with her there at the end of the day.  Her father and brother were at the school as well.  I got to meet them and talk for a few minutes.  It never seemed odd to me that her older brother and her father were at school with her.

When school was over, we offered to take Celia out to eat.  The translator pulled me aside and said that Celia's dad and brother would like to go with us.  It was implied that if they came, I would be buying.  They came, and I did.  It was well worth it; it was their first time eating in a restaurant.