Tipping and taxi rides and tacos

One of the most difficult things about moving to a new country is figuring out who and how to tip.  The strangest one that I have found here is at the grocery store.  If you want somebody to bag your groceries you are expected to tip them around a dollar.  They stand a bit back from the cash register and then you either signal for them, look pathetic, or the cashier asks if you want help and then they come over.  I couldn't figure out the tipping system so I kept saying "no" until I finally asked somebody the etiquette.  Of course it is the same tip if they fill up your one bag or a whole cart of groceries so I try an avoid it most of the time since I am just filling up one or two bags a day until the weekend.

You also don't tip cab drivers but Rob can't get over the "keep the change" habit.  Cabs have been the one place that I have to practice my Spanish and I enjoy the anonymity and the chance to just shoot the breeze with somebody who speaks real "Chilean" Ya, po.  I think it means something like "yeah, right."  Besides the Nana, I get to practice my Spanish a lot with the taxistas (drivers).   Between my horrible Spanish and their mumbled Chilean Spanish 9 times out of 10 I have succeeded in not only getting us to where we need to go but also having a small conversation with them.  The kids are usually completely mortified that I would even try and occasionally correct my Spanish.  Once we get a car I will miss these opportunities!

We have quickly learned that as in Uruguay, the word for a traffic jam is "taco" or as my kids would like to say "tacos sin frijoles."  Although we are not living in the most congested part of the city, during rush hour it can be overwhelming.  It appears that rush hour is more like 8-9:30 and 6-7:30 here and since there are several commercial districts in the city so far I have not found a logic for when one side of the road would be backed up compared to the other side.  We (me and the kids) have taken taxis to school every morning (a little less than a 20 minute ride) and two buses and a bit of a walk (40 minutes) to get home.  I have been taking notes on how the taxis get "up" there (the school is closer to the mountains and there is a steady incline going up to the school) but have not learned how they would drive to get back.  The Estadio is in-between school and home so we may just head there for snack and sports after school so that I won't be driving too much.

BTW - Suzannah - the Nana is ironing our sheets as I type ;-)