Se habla espanol
I've just returned home from shopping at El Mundo - the Spanish dept store near me. One of my roommates has stopped shopping there because she says the quality of stuff isn't great, and the prices aren't really all that cheap for crappy stuff.
She's probably right, but when you need some stuff for round the house - like a bucket, dustpan, plastic food containers and window cleaner you just can't beat shopping at a place on your street corner.
It's kind of a cross between a 99c store (that's a $2 shop for people back home - guess exchange rates can make differences everywhere!) a lower-end department store, and the markets. I once saw a guy try to bargain for things at the counter, which the staff weren't too happy about.
I've been trying to get a mirror for my room since I moved in. I have a small one from El Mundo, just so I can put on make up, check my hair etc, but getting a full length one there was out of the question. All the frames were hideous ornate gold things that would look more at home in a Dracula movie, or something about the French Revolution to show how crass the bourgeoisie were.
But today they had cheap full length mirrors with simple black frames that are light enough to hang on a wall! This is great, as my other option has been Bed Bath & Beyond, and negotiating the subway with a full length mirror, or catching a cab, which adds a lot of money to the price.
I took my purchases up to the counter. The clientele of El Mundo is as diverse as the neighbourhood, but a large majority speak Spanish, as do all the staff. Usually it's a bit hit or miss as to whether I get spoken to in English or Spanish - sometimes one, sometimes the other, depending on who's behind the counter, and whether I'm wearing casual neighbourhood clothes, or not. Since I've had my hair done it's a bit darker, and although it's no longer straight, perhaps I look a little more "spanish-speaking".
Today was straight up Spanish - we had an entire conversation: discussions about prices, specials, a small error when ringing up 2 items, the deal to fix this error, and where the customer copy of the receipt had gone. Not once did she switch to English, which has happened in the past when I didn't know the Spanish for "plastic container that could be used to catch dripping water from the leak in the ceiling". So either my Spanish is regaining its complete fluency, or I just blend well enough for people to ignore a few grammatical errors.
She's probably right, but when you need some stuff for round the house - like a bucket, dustpan, plastic food containers and window cleaner you just can't beat shopping at a place on your street corner.
It's kind of a cross between a 99c store (that's a $2 shop for people back home - guess exchange rates can make differences everywhere!) a lower-end department store, and the markets. I once saw a guy try to bargain for things at the counter, which the staff weren't too happy about.
I've been trying to get a mirror for my room since I moved in. I have a small one from El Mundo, just so I can put on make up, check my hair etc, but getting a full length one there was out of the question. All the frames were hideous ornate gold things that would look more at home in a Dracula movie, or something about the French Revolution to show how crass the bourgeoisie were.
But today they had cheap full length mirrors with simple black frames that are light enough to hang on a wall! This is great, as my other option has been Bed Bath & Beyond, and negotiating the subway with a full length mirror, or catching a cab, which adds a lot of money to the price.
I took my purchases up to the counter. The clientele of El Mundo is as diverse as the neighbourhood, but a large majority speak Spanish, as do all the staff. Usually it's a bit hit or miss as to whether I get spoken to in English or Spanish - sometimes one, sometimes the other, depending on who's behind the counter, and whether I'm wearing casual neighbourhood clothes, or not. Since I've had my hair done it's a bit darker, and although it's no longer straight, perhaps I look a little more "spanish-speaking".
Today was straight up Spanish - we had an entire conversation: discussions about prices, specials, a small error when ringing up 2 items, the deal to fix this error, and where the customer copy of the receipt had gone. Not once did she switch to English, which has happened in the past when I didn't know the Spanish for "plastic container that could be used to catch dripping water from the leak in the ceiling". So either my Spanish is regaining its complete fluency, or I just blend well enough for people to ignore a few grammatical errors.
happy birthday little fish buddy.
Posted by
kimba |
March 7, 2007 at 12:03 AM