Are We Home Yet?
Are We Home Yet?
Anyone traveling or living abroad soon realizes the need to adjust to the different way things are done outside their home country in order to cope and not go a little crazy.
It is easy to spot tourists, or vacationers, that don’t get it and have not adjusted to the different pace of life. They are the ones red faced and angry over some situation that happens day in and day out in the country they are visiting, but that they believe should not happen to them.
Our family has learned patience and to adjust to the slower pace of life in Latin America, but admit we have also had our share of frustration with the way business is conducted in the countries we have visited. After 9 months and 7 countries in Latin America the biggest frustration was over trying to purchase a phone chip.
Simple Is As Simple Does
Purchasing and installing a new chip is simple. The first chip we purchased was in Cotacachi, Ecuador a small town of 7,500 people tucked away in the Andes 2 hours North of Quito. Life in this small, rural town requires a 20 minute drive to the big grocery store and needed parts are ordered from Quito. In five minutes and $10.00 U.S. later we had our chip and 20 minutes of air time. Simple!
So when we arrived in Lima and decide to switch from Claro to Movistar, the two primary service providers in Latin America, to take advantage of a promotional offer, we expected the process to be completed in no time at all, boy were we mistaken.
Just up the street from our hostel was a gleaming, two story Movistar retail outlet we walked past every day. When we saw the promotional offer for extended minutes we popped in, took a ticket, and had a seat. FOUR hours later we were leaving the store after spending this time being sent to one person after another that did little more than ask us the same questions everyone else had and then passing us off to the next person.
And to top it off the chip still did not work!
Let’s Try It Again
We returned at exactly closing time and the Manager was less than helpful. With my foot wedged in the door so he could not shut it on us, my wife tries to explain our situation. All he can say is that the computers take time and to come back tomorrow. Exhausted from a long day wrestling with the staff dressed in blue and green, we slump back to our hostel hopeful that the phone will work in the morning.
Strike Three
Guess what? Yep, the phone does not work and we head back to Movistar. Same drill…take a ticket, take a seat, ya da, ya da, ya da. Even after speaking with the Manager we spend the next 2 hours standing in lines, getting sent to one person then the next…when I FINALLY SNAP!
We left that store never to return again. We had spent more than 6 hours trying to get a chip that took minutes anywhere else. We replaced our old Claro chip back into our phone having to pay a little more money for our air time, but reducing our stress considerably.
Yes, our family has learned patience but there are still some things that are done just a little differently back home.
Sean Lannin wrote this article for AffordableCallingCards.net where he blogs about his life as an expat. He also writes a personal blog Portable Parents about his travels in Latin America with his family. Come by both blogs and share a comment!
