Conversation in a Shop

In Popoyan, as in other Colombian towns, shopping streets seem to be categorized by what they sell. On one block are the shoe stores, on another the fabric shops, on another stationery, on another kitchenware.

I wandered into one of the kitchen shops. Almost immediately I was approached by a salesperson, saying, "A la orden?" (meaning, "At your service.") In general, in Colombia I find customer service to be very good. Someone immediately approaches me, I rarely wait. This is not the case in Mexico, where people often wait patiently for service.

In the kitchen shop, soon after I was approached, I was asked the usual questions:

How long are you in Colombia?
What do you think of Colombia?
Where have you been so far?
Where are you from?

People here are friendly and curious.

I answered all the questions. Then the guy I was talking with called to someone else, telling him to come on over and practice his English with me.

The new guy came over and we chatted for a bit. Then he said, "Which is more polite to say, "Get lost!," or "Beat it!"?

"Neither one is very polite," I* said. "Who would you be saying it to?"

"My uncle," he said, pointing to the first guy who had called him over. I wasn't sure he understood my question, since he and his uncle seemed on friendly terms. "I guess you might use one of those phrases with a very good friend," I said dubiously, thinking about how guys treat each other with a rough banter that women never use.

"But what would be a more polite way of saying it?"

"You might say, 'Please give me some space,'" I said, translating it into Spanish, adding "That's an idiom."

Now I wonder, where did that question come from? I wish I had asked.

People are so open here! Especially in Popoyan, where I suspect few tourists come. I said to Barry last night, "This is the kind of town where a tourist will pounce upon another tourist and say, "You speak English! or, "You're from somewhere!" There's a kind of innocence all over Colombia, but especially here in popayan.