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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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 Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:59 pm Post subject: |
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| samiam wrote: |
| Gilette Mach 3 blades (the kind I use) are available in any large supermercado. |
Maybe where you are but not where I am. It's the strangest thing how products like these can be found in major stores all over the city for a while, and then they disappear from all of those stores over night, not to reappear for months . . . or sometimes never again. |
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M@tt
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 473
Location: here and there
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| Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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that's the work of the elves that live in the cenotes. they come out once in awhile to play tricks on the humans.
regarding restaurants: no, it's just plain bad service. in every sense of the word. |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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| samiam wrote: |
| The service is sometimes rather slow, but I wouldn't say it's bad. It's a Mexican thing--what value is it to be in a hurry? Also, in Mexican culture, it's rude to give someone a bill unless they ask for it or otherwise hurry someone in a restaurant. |
| M@tt wrote: |
| regarding restaurants: no, it's just plain bad service. in every sense of the word. |
I have to go along with Matt on this one. There are certain restaurants in Merida that I refuse to patronize. The service is just plain bad, and the general attitude of the waiters is worse. I wouldn't even say the service is particularly good in some of the restaurants I do patronize, but at least the waiters don't act like it's a great inconvenience for them to stop chatting with each other long enough to sort of wait on the customers . . . or at least glance around once in a while to see that about five different customers have been trying to get their attention for fifteen minutes or so. |
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BoogaJuice
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 9:27 pm Post subject: |
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LADIES...
What about tampons? Is it difficult to find these? I'm not brand picky, but I will need them. Since I plan on teaching in a small town way south in Mexico that is kinda close to Guatemala... I need to know if I should just bring a hefty supply with me, or if I can find them easily. |
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TheLongWayHome
Joined: 07 Jun 2006
Posts: 1016
Location: San Luis Piojosi
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| Posted: Wed Jul 12, 2006 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| BoogaJuice wrote: |
LADIES...
What about tampons? Is it difficult to find these? I'm not brand picky, but I will need them. Since I plan on teaching in a small town way south in Mexico that is kinda close to Guatemala... I need to know if I should just bring a hefty supply with me, or if I can find them easily. |
You shouldn't have too many problems, most Mexican women are using them now. No, seriously, I've been to some hick dust-bowls that only got hooked up to the electricity 10 years or so ago, and they had tampons. |
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BoogaJuice
Joined: 10 Jun 2006
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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| That is great news! I've heard of some shortages in other countries and was starting to worry about what precautions to take. Thanks a lot for easing my mind. |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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Booga,
In many ways, "Way down south in Mexico" is a different world than the central and northern part of the country. In my city which has 150,000 people and is considered the "urban center" for an entire region, tampons can be hard to find. Usually you can only find Tampax. Sometimes there is OB (like once every six years!) The advantage of OB, is the boxes are really small and you can easily bring a years supply in your carry on! It would be best if you could ask someone specifically about the town your heading too. It wouldn't happen to be Comitan, Chaipas, would it? |
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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Discussions like this make me glad that I've already gone through the "change of life" and no longer have to worry about where to get tampons and such when I'm living abroad! |
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jseens
Joined: 13 May 2005
Posts: 21
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Diva Cup ladies, Diva Cup. www.divacup.com |
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grahamcito
Joined: 11 Sep 2004
Posts: 90
Location: Guadalajara
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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The thing I never found in Mexico?
People who would rather admit they didn't know something, than tell you a load of rubbish. |
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MO39
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Posts: 1970
Location: El ombligo de la Rep�blica Mexicana
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| Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2006 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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| It used to really bother me that people in Mexico would give you incorrect directions, rather than say they didn't know where a place was located. After discussing this with various friends, both Mexican and non-Mexican, I came to the conclusion that it's considered very rude to say that you don't have this information at your fingertips and that it's less offensive to give wrong or misleading information than to say you don't know. |
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Samantha
Joined: 25 Oct 2003
Posts: 2038
Location: Mexican Riviera
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| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:47 am Post subject: |
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Yes, this is definitely a cultural thing. But also, the delivering of directions when someone knows exactly where something is can be rather different than we foreigners are used to. And it gets us very confused. You all know what I am talking about if you have been at the receiving end of those elaborate directions that never once name an actual street sign or house number or the references North, South, East or West. You know, the place that's around the corner from the chicken place and 4 doors from where that old electronics place USED to be.  |
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Ben Round de Bloc
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1946
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| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:22 am Post subject: |
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| Samantha wrote: |
| You all know what I am talking about if you have been at the receiving end of those elaborate directions that never once name an actual street sign or house number or . . . |
 I catch myself giving directions like that, too. In Merida once a person gets outside of the main downtown area, nothing is parallel and perpendicular. Each colonia has its own system of street numbers. There are very few house numbers visable in most neighborhoods.
The street I live on divides two colonias. Therefore, the same street is both Calle 5 of one colonia (not to be confused with Calles 5-A and 5-B several blocks from here) and Calle 26 of another colonia with house numbers (what few there are) ascending on one side of the street and descending on the other side of the street. The cross streets are Calle 10-A -- after living in this house for over 8 years, I've never encountered 10-B or 10-C -- and Calle 12, which is also Calle 15 of another colonia. Confusing? You bet it is.
Locals tend to go by landmarks instead, often using those that used to be there, as Samantha mentioned. If I tell people directions to my house using street names and numbers, I get a blank look from them. If I tell them Vivo en La D�az Ordaz en una chop-calle (Maya-Spanish word) en la curva de Hospital Santelena a lado de Cemento Marza, tres esquinas de la Llantera San Judas Tadeo en la avenida donde queda Bancarios, they know exactly where I live. "Ah, the place next door used to be called Cemento Maya, right?" As� es.
Would I give landmark directions to someone not familiar with the city? Probably not. I'd probably just point and give the standard Dos esquinas a la vuelta, which means either "I've never heard of the place you're looking for" or "I know exactly where it is, but you'd never understand my directions, because you either don't live here or you're new here." Lots of times when I'm waiting for a bus in front of my house, people stop and ask how to get to Hospital Santelena. It actually is dos esquinas a la vuelta from my house, and I have to add La verdad, Hospital Santelana queda all� dos esquinas a la vuelta, or else they give me that thanks-for-nothing look when I tell them. |
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M@tt
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 473
Location: here and there
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| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 4:58 pm Post subject: |
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some people find all of this very cute or something. personally, i'm big on maps and compass directions (NSEW) when giving and getting directions, but it has been no big deal adjusting to the mexican way of things.
however, think about advances in technology and how none of them apply to mexico or other third world countries. things like mapquest, google earth, GPS systems, tracking for police, etc. none of that is possible in mexico because of wacky infrastructure. right now it doesn't matter much but as all of that technology becomes mainstream in the US (and europe some day) it will just widen the gap between first and third world countries. i'm not sure if there is a solution that could maintain the good parts (?) of having an antiquated system like mexico's. |
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kitkat1
Joined: 17 Jan 2006
Posts: 37
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| Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 8:14 pm Post subject: |
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| grahamcito wrote: |
The thing I never found in Mexico?
People who would rather admit they didn't know something, than tell you a load of rubbish. |
On the same note, what about people who say YES to an invitation and/or meeting you somewhere and then don't show up, don't call, don't do anything - just because they didn't feel comfortable saying NO THANKS?
It extends to so much more -- I've recently watched a friend go through the experience of talking with his friends regarding a job. Everyone, I mean everyone, says they can help and offers to put him in touch with someone or follow up with more information and NOT ONE has come through. So now he (he's Mexican) doesn't believe a word anyone says when they say they will help. Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier to say "gee, I wish I could help and certainly if I hear of something I'll let you know, but I don't know of any jobs right now"?????????? |
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