One Family's Return Trip: Taxi Etiquette #1

By -
Let's face it, some cars seem more sturdily built than others. Recently, I was at the Honda Dealer getting a recall on my Odyssey fixed. While I was there, I tried out the new FIT. BACKGROUND: When you climb into the Odyssey, it takes some muscles to close the door. You give the door a big yank. Well, I gave the FIT's door a big yank -- out of habit -- and the whole car shook. Instantly, I was teleported mentally to Colombia. I remembered an experience from my first trip.

Hubby and I were in a rainstorm in Bogotá waiting for a cab with friends. I had been in Colombia just a few hours. When the Cab pulled up, my husband and our friends climbed in the back, so that I could sit shotgun and see better. I was eager to get out of the rain, and as I yanked the taxi door shut, the whole car shuddered. GASPS!! came from the Taxi driver, our friends and my husband. "What? Sorry!" I truly didn't believe that shutting the door a little forcefully deserved the third degree stares I was getting.

Once out of the car, hubby pulled me aside to explain that in Colombia you have to be very careful when closing car doors. People believe that if you close the door too forcefully, you will damage the car -- this may be true, I'll have to call Tom and Ray on that one.


LEARN THIS LESSON! GENTLY CLOSE CAR DOORS ALWAYS!! It is better to have to attempt to close the door several times softly, than to slam it in one big swing.

Comments

Adam said…
This is funny because they believe the same thing in Brazil, where I used to live. I'd close a car door normally and they thought I was slamming it. I'd say, ok sure but I wasn't slamming it shut by any means.
July 1, 2010 at 7:39 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Muisca Indigenous Names, from Hunza (Tunja)

By -
In response to this week’s posts on names, I have received several e-mails asking about the names of famous Colombians and their stories and about Indigenous names. I plan to spend the next three days sharing some of them. Also, I will continue to post more in the future and you will be able to find them all by clicking on the NAMES link the LABELS section to the right of the blog. Name: AQUIMÍN ( pronounced: ah key MEAN) or AQUIMINZAQUE (pronounced: ah key mean ZAH kay) When the Spanish arrived on the plains of Bogotá, 1536, they found a great nation. In fact, it was the third largest group of indigenous inhabitants in America. They called themselves the Muiscas , which meant ‘the people’. Their language was called Chibcha . The Muiscas were not a united group, but rather a collection of city states. The majority of the power was held by two main cities – what today are called Bogotá and Tunja (in Boyacá). These two cities were mortal enemies and each enlisted the loy
Read more

Popular Colombian Names

By -
Recently, I was asked to write a post on Colombian names, and popular Colombian names. I had a hard time finding a list, but eventually I did find one. According to I.N.E. - Instituto Nacional de Estadística, -- unfortunately, when I found this it doesn't say the year -- the most common Colombian boys names across all ages are: 1 JUAN CARLOS 2 CARLOS ALBERTO 3 ALEXANDER 4 ANDRES FELIPE 5 LUIS FERNANDO 6 DIEGO FERNANDO 7 JHON JAIRO 8 CARLOS ANDRES 9 ALEJANDRO 10 JUAN DAVID The girls are: 1 SANDRA MILENA 2 LUZ MARINA 3 CAROLINA 4 PAULA ANDREA 5 CLAUDIA PATRICIA 6 MARIA EUGENIA 7 PAOLA ANDREA 8 DANIELA 9 LILIANA 10 MARTHA CECILIA Just as here, names go through ebb and flow. Fourteen years ago when we were married, I attended several baby baptisms and met numerous friends of my husband. At the time, it seemed like everyone was naming their kid Juan CAMILO (boy) or Maria CAMILA (girl). I met dozens of them. Then, about 7 years later, I heard tons of SANTIAGO, JULIAN, SEBASTIAN and FE
Read more

La Madremonte

By -
Image
The myth of the Madremonte (Mother Mountain), and I do say myth though many campesinos in Colombia believe in her today, has it's roots in the indigenous cultures of Colombia and is known throughout much of Colombia including Antioquia, Caldas, Arauca, Caqueta, Amazonas, Guainia, and perhaps more departments. The Madremonte looks like a large woman. She has large, bony hands, large teeth and Betty Davis Eyes -- which on closer examination glow. Her body is covered in leaves and moss. Her hair is a tangled mess of plants and moss which often covers her face. She lives in the mountains and jungles, (in Antioquia and Caldas she lives in swamps where streams are born. People who claim to have seen her, usually report to have done so near thickets and bushes in jungle like areas. Others report having heard her bloodcurdling screams and groans on stormy nights. She rules the winds, the rains, and all the vegetation, and her role is to protect nature. She punishes those who invad
Read more