Internet!

The new apartment is slowly becoming more inhabitable. I love it because there are windows for every room, the place is sunny, warm and bright, the floor throughout is made of parquet, and there is a bidet (how decadent is that!). We are currently using about 1.5 of the available (3) rooms, plus the living room, or as they say, el líving. Fascinating how (and when) English enters the Spanish language… Other examples: There are “líders” who are indeed leaders, but Líder is also the name a supermarket chain (the other chains are called Jumbo and Extra, apparently the level of entrepreneurial “creativity” in baptizing is universal). At university people are studying for a “bachillerato.” There is tipear, clickear (Haz clic aquí), a political “mitin,” “el flash” (for cameras) and “sushi,” spoken, at least by R, like “sutschi.”

Now. we have a kitchen, sponsored by R.s parents. Both a kitchen and a fridge were supposed to come around now, so it was fun when the kitchen came about a week ago. More funny still is that we can´t use it. The kitchen takes its energy from a gas ballon which we don´t have. So, the last days`task was to find that gas ballon. Well! Everybody you ask says, well everybody has one (or more). You just change the empty ones against a full one.
Some gas-filling guy with cross eyes and teeth so crooked and yellow he seemed to have jumped right out of one of those colorful 19th century novels, deliberated selling us one, but then reflected that he might need it, too… This kind of search is something completely unknown to me.

First there is the obligatory no, which to my ear, always sounds rude for lack of sugarcoating (no thank you, maybe later, ups we´ve run out of that one…) But Chileans seem to just save words, letters, time… Another example. Scene: an internet place, me leaving. Girl: Numero? – Me: Cuatro. – Algun imprimado? – No. – Ciento cincuenta – (exchange of money) - Gracias. – A ti. Over and out.

Anyway. What I like about this kind of search is that you start to be happy when someone says, you know there is someone/something/I´ve heard someone say once there might be, on occasion, a guy on Independencía and Las Heras. And then you go. There is nothing of course on Independencia and Las Heras, at least nothing obvious. You start looking around, asking around. The day before yesterday, we went to about 3-4 places in that fashion, finding not a single damned ballon.


Today at 11am, we have a rendez-vous with destiny, a guy who allegedly has a ballon. In that spirit, yours truly…


PS: Has anyone seen “Inglourious Basterds” and has an opinion s/he would like to treat me to? I need some input. My brain is kind of stuck between repulsion, high-speed intertext readings, and some kind of carnal pleasure (the technologics minus the let´s-show-the-groins-in-close-up violence)