Too bad it has to be this way.

coffee beaner says on Mar 28, 2007, 15:48:

hahaha thats funny what did she do when you took your things back??? did she have a fit too?

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Azul says on Mar 28, 2007, 15:52:

I love Colombia so don't get me wrong when I say "when in Colombia, don't turn your back on your stuff!"

las cosas caen por su propio peso

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juancegomez says on Mar 28, 2007, 16:13:

Unas de cal y otras de arena... Azul put it quite succinctly. Lowell's experiences are not universally the case, since more than a few people either simply mind their own business or can be actually helpful and considerate, but still more common in Colombia than any of us would like.

However, it's important to point out that this doesn't only happen here and nowhere else.

It's not going to happen as often in your average first world nation, but it's probably prevalent in more places than just Colombia.

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Mr. Hollywood says on Mar 28, 2007, 16:14:

Geez, Those people are dumb. Don't even wait until it's paid for before stealing your stuff.

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southern151 says on Mar 28, 2007, 16:25:

HAHAHA!!! Good one Mr. Hollywood! That would not only give you relief from being lazy but would also help with the finances. LOL

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englishsettler says on Mar 28, 2007, 16:42:

maybe they think goods chosen by gringos are that much nicer....

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poco says on Mar 28, 2007, 16:45:

It's not the childs fault. Mothers are ALWAYS the problem they seem to have a handle on it and are teaching their children the same behavior.

I was walking down the street when my GF crossed the street to talk with a boy picking flowers in front of a house. She went to the door with the child to talk with the owner.

This wouldn’t be unusual because she often asks the owners for a small cutting. You can put a stick in the ground and grown a flower.

She returned empty handed and I asked if the owner refused and I’ve never known an owner to refuse.

She had confronted the kid and told him he was STEALING !!! She took him to the owner to ask permission. I couldn’t believe she had done that. I asked how she knew the kid didn’t have permission or might be the child of the owner.

She said “See the kid get on the moto” ? She had noticed his MOTHER stop their moto and the child got off and went directly to the yard and started picking flowers.

Hard to believe a parent is teaching their kid to steal but that’s exactly the lesson. Get what you want without any concern about who owns the item.

I’ve seen many instances of lack of respect for other peoples property. I’ve always wondered where poor people get spray paint?

Steal it I guess.

Pereira Arts and Crafts

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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Lowell says on Mar 28, 2007, 17:11:

fit No fit from me and no fit from her. Just calmly removed my things without a word and walked away. Expecting to be hit in the back of my head by an over ripe tomato or.....

In Panama they have the term Juego Vivo or Viva (don't remember). It's the practice of putting ones self ahead of another, taking advantage...... with total disregard to the person affected. What's the term here?

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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robi666 (Trustee board) says on Mar 28, 2007, 17:27:

It is called "conchudez", and it is practiced expecially on the coast. Where do you live Lowell?

what we do in life... echoes in eternity.

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 28, 2007, 20:19:

I hate to say it but this kind of behavior is everywhere. I had a coworker who used to bring in his lunch and it kept disappearing from one of the common refrigerators. One day he's in one of the break areas and some other guy is taking what looks to be his tupperware container containing a lunch he brought out of the microwave. He says to the guy, "Excuse me but that's my lunch you've microwaved!" The guy then mutters something about having made a mistake and runs off. The guy had been stealing his lunch off and on for weeks.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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miamimike says on Mar 28, 2007, 21:32:

This Happens All The Time In Miami and its a Common practice with all Latinos as well as the Haitians. The Haitians do it out of Ignorance but the others,,, Their next favorite thing is cutting to the head of the line and that's always a fight(so far only verbally) if the person they cut in front of is me....

So its not only in Colombia but areas like Miami also,,,

Avatar Legend: Bush "If any of you Reporters are wondering, it was a Size 10"

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 21:56:

I bet it happens in Walmarts around the country every day a thousand times. and, elsewhere.

The time my ex- and I took a couple small children to DisneyWorld, I remember parking the a Rented Stroller outside the window of a restaurant, and while eating, witnessed an Asian couple come and stroll away with it (for a piece before the ol' country dog {not me! jejeee} caught up with them and gave them a piece of her mind that I don't think they exactly understood. lol I think they got the drift, but didn't really care.

The World is....a Ghet-tow !

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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mecca says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:00:

Feliz, but do you think they would take the "huge" coche de bebe? They were asian, they probably could put their whole family in a coche that size. I better not leave my smoking pipe in the ride anymore.

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:17:

you stereotyppinnn freak, mecca!! I think you forgot about Chou Ping, or what ever the giants name is who plays for Houston Rockets... Yeah, you need some LockDown on EL COCHE DE BEBE GRANDE, because I'm imagining it has custom pipes and high fenders on de back. Somehow, I'm seeing you in whatever is the equivalent of Colombian Tuxedo EN NEGRO.... I don't know, jus keep having nightmares that EL COCHE ES.....ROSA! smoke bellowing...reaggeton blaring on surround sound...

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:18:

Can't wait to see the photo and how your lady is dressed, pushing that thing through the mall... CHIPE CHAPE! OF COURSE.

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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mecca says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:23:

I know, I know.. you got it right, drag slicks on the back, side pipes, a pair of 10's in the back, Hell yeahhhhh , you gotta let this huge baby live !!! I'll even let you and your girl take it for a spin in chipe, of course you'd have to have your own smoking jacket.

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:25:

Its my Goal in Life, now: To make the front page of El Tiempo.
Maybe we're on to something...jahjeee

Getting back to the OP...
It may not be so bad if...IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY.

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:27:

to make the front page of El Tiempo.. AND... Still be Alive to read it. jaja

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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mecca says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:28:

jajajaja.. You're on, I'll have them begin construction next week.

SORRY, it was rude to go off subject, i'll watch that.

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goin_south says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:39:

I think it could be a new business venture rental para Gringos quien no quierre camino en El Chipe Chape con su Novia;
(I think it's getting closer to Front Page News - at least front page of PBsH. lol)

Why Not Colombia?..........Stay Tuned, for more.... utterly worthless, self-indulgent gobbets of nonsense.

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mecca says on Mar 28, 2007, 22:44:

Si, estaba pensando lo mismo, solo por los sabados en la noche. Con munequita bonita, por supuesto, no?

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Miguel_Clavo says on Mar 29, 2007, 18:30:

I agree with Lowell, we should beat those old ladies up, teach them a lesson to steal someones vegetables which were probably left unattended.....the elderly, pure scum of the earth and no longer have a purpose on this planet..lets go granny-bashing or make it a national sport with a point system, similar to the Hit the Pedestrian Game....oh, wait, we ALL will get there eventually.....nevermind!...=(

Just my opinion...and brought to you by a kinder and gentler

Miguel_Clavo =).....Colombia es pasión!

"F.A.R.C..S.U.C.K.S"

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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mecca says on Mar 29, 2007, 22:14:

I spit my protein drink out... laughing at that Miguel....jajajajaajaja

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Lowell says on Mar 30, 2007, 06:43:

MC I said beat them up.......? I can't set aside for one minute goods that I've compiled? Sir/officer, I never understand why you and some of the other good members of PBH insist on causing problems, being rude, insultive..... Step away from the computer and get a life. Negative postings, trying to agitate.......... What a life. What a joke.

It a beautiful day here in my Colombian town. It's finally cool and we've been getting some rain. In an hour I'm meeting my wife and baby in town. Pleasant possitive activities. I'm so glad that I pulled the plug at 50 and made my escape.

What are you doing today? Still stuck in the States? Happy?

Alfred E. Newman. "What. Me Worry?"

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gringolondinense says on Mar 30, 2007, 07:37:

sometimes people do shit because they know they will get away with it. Old women can be bloody rude. They know because they are old, youre not supposed to be rude to them back. Its the unwritten rule. Sometimes these old women need a kick up the arse to put em in line.

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Mononoke28 says on Mar 30, 2007, 13:47:

I guess it's a latino thing... ... I work for a big company where they have several break rooms with refrigerators for you to put your food in. The last Friday of every month they clean them out. So I go out for lunch with one of my friends and he saves half of it in the fridge. Come 4pm he says "I'm hungry! I forgot I had my burger in the fridge!" So he runs off all happy to get it and then I hear him say "Hey! you're eating my lunch!" I go there and sure enough, there were 4 Mexican guys eating all the leftovers in the fridge just before they clean it out because it was the last Friday of the month. Man, that just craked me up!!! XD

Diana

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Miguel_Clavo says on Mar 30, 2007, 13:48:

Short Term Memory Loss? Lowell, I never said you said to beat them up…if you had, placing quotes (“ “) around your words probably would have been appropriate, no? That is why I left a comma between the beat granny up comment and ny agreeing with you comments in your OP....... a comma indicates a break from the two thoughts……maybe i should have used a semi-colon instead.....understand? I was strictly commenting on the general tone of all the posts under your thread….like all grannies are evil, or something like that…hence the snide comments about ridding the world of those parasitic viejas….

Lets, see…I guess you expect granny, unknown her exact age, to read your mind? Kind of like elderly telepathy? She sees a bunch of vegetables compiled, with noone around…well, as in the states, you snooze, you lose, bud……and when you first posted one of your initial posts here on PBH about “helping out a Colombian family” and you got reemed to the bone about how arrogant Americans are to think that the lowly Colombians NEED Gringos to survive, remember that?? Kind of a rude welcome to PBH, huh? I understood what you meant, and, I am sure you will choose not to remember, but I actually was one of the few people who knew how it is to feel to help others, and not in a demeaning subservient way. Helping people is actually better that hurting people, no?

I am not causing problems for you, Lowell….you have done a grand job of doing that for yourself, from reading your posts……I was commenting more along the lines of “you can take the American out of America, but you cant take being American out of the American”…meaning, that its obvious you belong to the Whine and Geeeezzz Club, an exclusive club for Americans. Whining about everything and saying Geezzz, why is my life so f%4$ked up…it has replaced Baseball as the All-American Pasttime. All of your posts are about whining, and how your life sucks at the moment, about how you "have fallen and cant get up"...…now you are even complaining about some little old lady, who by all odds, has had a much tougher life than you, who snatches your vegetables, for crying out loud!!! Be a man, and go get some other ones! Let her have the friggin vegetables!...better yet, tell me the next time she does that, let her have it, and I will pay for her vegetables, and yours if money is so tight for you, so that way I don’t have to read your whining about granny! It would be money well spent! and show some respect to your elders, especially if you expect others to respect you when you are old and feeble.....

Dude, I only post here when I read really lame and stupid things, then I take the time out of my activities to make a comment. You, on the other hand, spend so much time on the computer, to post numerous threads informing the entire internet audience of how life sucks, how you get tuned up on a regular basis by your old lady, how the Colombians have an extra DNA chromosome for violence, etc, blah blah blah….So, WHO needs to get away from the computer and Get a Life???? …that’s a no brainer….

And you are not the only who pulled the plug at 50, Lowell……I have too (July 2006)….and contrary to your false claim to be Soooooo Happyyyyyyyy in Colombia smelling the coffee and fresh air, your posts portray the exact opposite…..you are trapped in Colombia, getting tuned up by a younger woman, feel a need to be Macho towards a granny with some real choice words over frickin vegetables…….yep, you are the poster child for Happinessss, Lowell…..To answer your question, I slept in today, since I don’t have a need for an alarm clock, I will go spend about 4 hours at the gym, grab a light lunch, maybe take in a movie, then go play racquetball later tonight. Trapped in the states? Nope, I can go anywhere in the world at a moments notice if I want…and still run my businesses in Colombia telecommuting…..so, please don’t feel sorry for me…..oh, and btw, Lowell...nothing personal! =)


Just my opinion...and brought to you by a kinder and gentler

Miguel_Clavo =).....Colombia es pasión!

"F.A.R.C..S.U.C.K.S"

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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Miguel_Clavo says on Mar 30, 2007, 13:50:

Naw, Mononoke28, seems you dont get out much...all people in all countries do that......its not a black, brown, white, pink, black and blue, yellow, or mauve thing...its a human thing.....

Just my opinion...and brought to you by a kinder and gentler

Miguel_Clavo =).....Colombia es pasión!

"F.A.R.C..S.U.C.K.S"

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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rocinante says on Mar 30, 2007, 17:36:

papaya alert "and when you first posted one of your initial posts here on PBH about “helping out a Colombian family” and you got reemed to the bone about how arrogant Americans are to think that the lowly Colombians NEED Gringos to survive, remember that??"-MClavo to LowellThat was me.

"I can't set aside for one minute goods that I've compiled? -LowellThe answer to that question was built in to the actual story and the question is more or less a statement, yes?. Following up with that minsdset the bottom line is it depends on where you are. Obviouly the answer, for where you were, is 'No, you can't'.

Just like you can't set down your sun glasses on the sink top in the mens room at a train station and expect them to be there when you get out of the stall. But the same bathroom somewhere else and you'd have less of a problem.

Just my 2 cents.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Not that the US president actually runs the US." Feb 5, 2008

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andrew24 says on Apr 10, 2007, 11:08:

ahem She took stuff out of his basket, she knew it was someone elses and figured 'well fuck them, I'm old and they're not looking.' It was rude, period, and being an old fart isn't an excuse Miguel. I've NEVER seen something like that done here in the States, and if it was, it wouldn't matter if it was grandma or not, the shit would hit the fan (as it should--hey, DON'T TAKE SHIT THAT DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!! And NO being old isn't an excuse to do it).

Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough.

Mark Twain

Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough. Mark Twain

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Calinomadic says on Apr 10, 2007, 11:57:

I have to agree with andrew24.... There is no excuse for stealing vegetables from someone elses basket. Whether you are an old fart - whether they were not looking or not - that is extremely rude. But if they were hot....."Well, HOT would work as an excuse for me.

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 10, 2007, 11:57:

Sorry, Andrew, but that reaks of typical American pomposity and arrogance.......What goes around comes around, i say. =)

Just my opinion...and brought to you by the lowest of the low, and foul

Miguel_Clavo =)..aka, Clavo...Colombia es pasión!

"F.A.R.C..S.U.C.K.S"

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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elmodefoque says on Apr 10, 2007, 12:12:

hey lowell, nevermind all that. Why are yu feeding 9 fokin people?? you got that many kids??

I'll get there, when I get there!

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Strobers says on Apr 10, 2007, 12:26:

It Happens At My Work Too I used to put my lunch in the communal fridge on the Unit where I work. For over a week, I would find my sandwich missing, an apple missing, or the entire bag gone. After a week of progressively writing my name on the bag bigger and bigger, hiding my lunch in the corner of the fridge, making comments out loud about how rude people can be, I finally decided to take empower myself and do something about it. I told my wife that I'd make my own lunch, but instead of putting something yummy, I put some dog shit between two pieces of bread with lettuce and tomato. My lunch was stolen again that day, but I never had a repeat of that problem.

Sometimes you just have to get a little dirty to make things right.

"Life is too serious to be taken seriously"

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Calinomadic says on Apr 10, 2007, 13:14:

LOL / What should we steal?
Tea and Crumpets?!?!?

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Azul says on Apr 10, 2007, 16:57:

"I've NEVER seen something like that done here in the States" Andrew24, I have to side with what M_C wrote on this one. Right or wrong, good or bad, Gringos need to adapt to Colombian culture instead of bitching about it. "I've NEVER seen something like that done here in the States", ....well shit, you will see a lot of things in Colombia that you will not see in the States, both good and bad. You may not agree with certain things that happen, but using a statement like that isn't gonna win you any arguments.

las cosas caen por su propio peso

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Mr. Hollywood says on Apr 10, 2007, 17:12:

Dog shit sandwich I'd do that but my dog shits caviar.

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Azul says on Apr 10, 2007, 17:17:

Does your dog piss champagne too?

las cosas caen por su propio peso

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johann911 says on Apr 11, 2007, 11:47:

not dog shit you should have laced your sandwich with ex-lax so you could have id'd your thief.
in the us you can get stuff called "the evacuator" your mark will fart and shit uncontrollably soon after ingesting it

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Miguel_Clavo says on Apr 11, 2007, 11:53:

I will have to bring lots of dogshit and X-lax on my next trip to Colombia....then i will lay-in-wait for the starving evil 80 lb grannie in the grocery store to take my vegetables, and after verbally berating her in English, then i will force her to eat dogshit and Xlax....will be tons of fun!! maybe even videotape it and post it on YouTube under "Three Striker Granny eating shit after robbing gringo of his tomatos!" I cant wait! =)

Just my opinion...and brought to you by the lowest of the low, and foul

Miguel_Clavo =)..aka, Clavo...Colombia es pasión!

"F.A.R.C..S.U.C.K.S"

"I would rather die living life, than to live a dying life."........ Oh, and my PM is always ON. Great Bumper Sticker: "Home of the Free, Because of the Brave"

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johann911 says on Apr 11, 2007, 12:39:

customs make sure you have your camera ready for the look on the faces of the
customs officials when they inspect your suitcase!

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