Latin America is known for having long lines, and it is very true. I noticed I had to wait longer for everything when I was in Ciudad de México years ago, and I really notice it here in Chile. It really makes you realize that patience is a virture.
I have to call work every night to find out if any of my classes have canceled. (I think this is a really stupid system, but I find that procedures that could be relatively simple are made to be as complex as possible in this country.) When I call, there is this big shpeel (in both Spanish and English) about if you know your party's extension you can dial it. Then, if you don't know your party's extension, you are asked to please wait (por favor, espere) and you will be connected to the operator (the night secretary that tells you which of your classes you actually get to teach tomorrow). Everytime I hear the recording tell me "por favor, espere" I wonder how much of my time here is spent waiting.
I wait for buses and metros occasionally. They come fairly regularly, but those moments of waiting surely add up. I was really glad that the metro strike didn't effect me much, and I didn't have to wait longer or ride in a more crowded metro to get out to Manquehue in the mornings.
Planning a trip to the grocery store must be strategic at times if I don't want to wait in the check out line for a half an hour. Going to the grocery store at the wrong time is (generally) when everybody is on their way home from work and trying to buy things for dinner. Sometimes you can't guess that the lines will be long, and you just get stuck. This happens to me occasionally. I feel like it is Latin America's way of telling my gringa ass to suck it; there is no way around the esperando (waiting).
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