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Dirrty South

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December 12, 2008

*We’re in the U.S. right now, we got here yesterday! Posts will probably be shorter and more infrequent than usual, FYI.

First Woah-I’m-Not-In-Chile-Anymore moment:

An hour outside of Atlanta at a rest area right off the highway — we pull in and see a truck with wheels the size of our “compact” rental car. The Confederate flag is displayed proudly across the back window.

Me to S., only half joking: Don’t speak Spanish loudly, you might get shot.

(We then walk up to a pay phone to try to call my friend that we’re meeting in Atlanta. I put money in and my quarters get rejected. I then try to dial, and put the phone down then pick it up again and shake my head in frustration that I no longer know how to use my country’s pay phones. An overweight girl approaches holding out a cell phone and speaks in a heavy Southern accent): Y’all trying to use the phone?

Me (suspiciously): Umm, yeah, why?

Random Southern Girl: Use my (pronounced mah) phone. It ain’t gonna cost me anything.

Me (taking phone, afraid the phone is a secret distraction technique while her cohorts are stealing our car off in the distance): Umm, thanks?
Me (dials and talks to friend, hands phone back over, turns and sees rental car is still there): Hey thanks, that was really nice of you. I guess that’s your random act of kindness for the day.

Random Southern Girl (smiling a big and very genuine smile): Hey, it ain’t no problem. I (pronounced ah) know how it is. We all been there.

Me to S., as we walk away: Wow, that was cool, slash a little weird.
(S. nods in agreement)
Me: But, still, don’t yell in Spanish or anything until we get in the car.


Living in Chile has taught me to never trust strangers. Coming back to the U.S. reminds me why I was this trusting to begin with.

For another interesting trust graph, and why I always scoff when Chileans tell me what a warm and open culture they are, click here. I didn’t find this graph on my own, it was left in a comment on someone else’s blog, although I can’t remember whose, sorry! The graph compares Chile’s levels of trust to the rest of LatinAmerica’s over a period of time. Then countries who were surveyed once also appear. Swedes are the most trusting, with 70% of people surveyed responding “Yes,” when asked if they believed you can trust in the majority of all people. Holand follows closely at 60%, while the U.S. comes in with 35% (in 2001). Chile’s percent was just below 10 when surveyed in 2007.

I’m not trying to beat a dead horse. I just felt like this anecdote is extremely telling of where I am now in terms of trust in strangers, compared to where I came from. And the graph quantefies that.

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8 Comments »

  1. haha. i love the story.

    i always think about this issue, i used to spend a LOT of time away from my house in college, usually at cafe type places, where other people are also there studying/talking/having a drink/etc… the norm is, if you want to go to the bathroom, go for a smoke, or even leave completely like go get a bite somewhere else and come back later, you leave ALL of your possessions usually including an open laptop where you were sitting. if you were alone you would ask a stranger to keep an eye on your stuff. i cant imagine doing that here.

    i frequently let strangers use my phone. i would offer it up to anybody that i was aware needed to make a call, even if it were long.

    i miss that indeed… though it makes SENSE to keep an eye on your own stuff and not blindly trust people, i like that we can have confidence in trusting strangers and usually not get screwed over for it in the us.

    Comment by lydia — December 13, 2008 @ 9:41 am

  2. Wow, things that would never happen here. Although in all fairness, in the US I had practically unlimited minutes while here every second costs me money. But still, even if I had minutes here I would be afraid someone would steal my phone. I was just talking about something similar yesterday actually because I have a picture on Facebook that a random (probably homeless) guy took of a friend and me. We tipped him even though he didn’t ask for money, but for whatever reason I handed over my digital camera without too much fuss. I did wonder a bit when he first offered, but something convinced me that he really was just being nice. I can’t imagine doing that here.

    Comment by Emily — December 13, 2008 @ 1:49 pm

  3. hey!!!! you are close…(er) to me…wanna come take pictures of those cute kids I have?
    But seriously I hope you have a good time.

    Comment by Rachel — December 14, 2008 @ 1:58 am

  4. hahahaha, I had the SAME exact experience last year when I went home to Texas and tried to call my grandparents at the airport: I couldn’t remember HOW to use a payphone!! At first I thought it was just booth I was in that wasn’t working, so I stepped out and tried the next, and the next, and the next…. I tried them ALL until I finally read the instructions sticker and realized I was doing it wrong!.

    I totally get you on the trust thing. After living in Mexico most of my life, I was like that when I got to France, always clutching my bag close to my chest, always looking behind my back… I just couldn’t believe you could take the metro at midnight and NOW there was nothing to fear!!!

    Have a great great time with S in the US…. and happy holidays!!!!

    Fned.

    Comment by André — December 14, 2008 @ 2:15 am

  5. Ha! I liked your story. I just had a weird experience on a bus coming back from Valparaíso on Sunday. It was practically empty except for every variety of English speaking tourist imaginable. In fact, two were in my seat.

    “Excuse me… That’s my seat” I said expecting an argument like I got into going to Mendoza.

    “No problem. We were just looking for ours.” The lady said.

    What? No fight?!?!? I…uh… don’t know what to do…

    Comment by Sara — December 15, 2008 @ 6:14 am

  6. Um, I am just leaving you comments everywhere since I do not know what you are checking so CALL ME!! :)

    Comment by EvilJoy — December 15, 2008 @ 4:14 pm

  7. Living in New York City, I have learnt to not leave anything of value out of my sight in public places. My car was stolen years ago, I parked it on the street, 11th Ave, two blocks from Lincoln Center.
    At least once a month I am told one of several pretty standard stories with the purpose of “helping out” in an “emergency situation”, money will be returned “as soon as I get back to my apartment uptown”.
    Or the rigged ATM in one of the tourist shops at South Street Seaport. The machine shoots out less money than you request, so, if you count it, the storekeeper looks puzzled and gives you the difference: “it must be broken”. If you return because you counted it later he will tell you that you left the money at the machine, and give it to you.
    And despite I didn’t have any money invested with Madoff, between working on Wall Street and living in Manhattan I certainly have learned not to trust strangers, or anyone else for that matter.
    I wonder how your trust indicator would come out if it were measured for large American cities like New York.
    I still love New York, you just need to get the hang of it.

    Comment by Ni tan huaso — December 21, 2008 @ 4:16 pm

  8. I think I’m more cautious of people now because of my life back in Mexico. I mean I automatically think something if fishy right off the bat, unless they prove me otherwise.

    Can’t wait to hear about your other adventures. Sorry about your mama! Her boo boo is pretty freakin BAD! lol. Poor her.

    Comment by My Way — December 22, 2008 @ 2:43 pm

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