Trust #2

Insipired in part by Lencol's post...

In Spain I rented an apartment for a year.

The landlady (a Mexicana) brought over a tattered contract which I signed, I paid her the deposit and first month's rent, she gave me the keys, and voila. No hassles. It took one day.

We rented an apartment for a year in Bogota.

We signed 4,000 copies of 16 different contracts (complete with full sets of fingerprints on every page), often having to resign them because if you write something a little bit unclearly (like the number of your cedula) the whole process had to be restarted from scratch. My girlfriend's mother had to provide the "finca raiz", and all was done with an entourage of estate agents, lawyers, military police, diplomatic personnel and mysterious men in dark sunglasses with cameras. The whole process was extremely long-winded.

I am still traumatised by the effort involved in getting a work visa/bank account...

Owing to the bizarre design of our house keys, they are unable to be copied. So, when our empleada comes, and we are not in, we have developed an ingenious scheme of getting the keys to her. We hide them in a book, wrap it up, give it to the portero, then tell her to tell the portero "I already have the keys!", and tell the portero "Please give this book to our empleada!". (Lest I forget to mention that we also had to provide a signed letter with cedulas and everything to the building administration to let our empleada come into our flat without us being there).

This weird and lengthy process of getting the keys to our empleada is, ostensibly, to prevent the portero from having access to our (uncopiable) house keys. It is, of course, ridiculous. While none of our porteros are particularly bright, I imagine they have figured out what the process is all about.

We triple-lock our front door, despite no-one being able to enter the building without express permission.

I am repeatedly scolded for sitting in a near-empty bar/pub with my phone resting on the bar ("someone might steal it!"), I am reminded to watch all supermarket staff like a hawk when they are packing our bags for us (in case they slyly pocket a pack of mentos while I am not looking), and I have never been anywhere where one phones for a taxi, awaits confirmation, gets the number plate, and must give a two-digit code of one's own to safely complete the transaction. (Even the TaxExpress telephone jingle cheerfully informs you that when you think of ordering a taxi "con seguridad" you should think of 411 11 11, "Tax Express!!")

My girlfriend's sister will not drive across a bridge (on the way to Chia) if there is a car in front of her and behind her (instead, she pulls over and waits until the coast is clear).

There is, of course, a full complement of armed guards at my school.

Most tellingly of all, perhaps, there is no direct English translation for "dar papaya" - yet the phrase is in quite common usage here.

This is not the first country I have been to with a predominantly poor population - indeed, I been to and lived in countries with more pronounced poverty than here. I have never seen security measures as big as these, though. (I am assured that in some African countries it is even worse, however).

(And all this, yet people are quite happy to get drunk and throw iron weights at explosives without any safety measures, as I have observed here before)

I have never been robbed or ripped off in Colombia - to be honest, I'm not sure how it could happen (although evidently it does).

It makes sense for people to take precaution - but perhaps I am alone in thinking that it is all a little over-the-top. My observation is that trust is a major, major issue here - in that there is a complete lack of it. Where did all this come from?

By Leeroy on Aug 6, 2007, 10:19 in Friendly Talkzone.

Lowell says on Aug 6, 2007, 10:40:

Because in this one mans observation after being here for 2 yrs and visiting for 4. Colombians will use every oportunity to screw other Colombians. Just look at the way they drive. I refuse to have a car.

I see it in my barrio, in town.... I've had 100% problems with every trade that has worked on my house, watch repair, motorcycle repair (the jerk even sipons gas from my tank), dentist, phone instalation and repair, Banda Ancha (what a joke), waiting for over one year to have elec meter replaced (paid for) and the list goes on and on. I can honestly say that the only people who have provided proper and professional service is the gas company.

One must think long and hard before moving to Colombia. It's very frustrating to do just about anything here. I'm here for my child (mama Colombian), the physical beauty of Colombia and a lower cost of living.

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

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vicshere says on Aug 6, 2007, 11:21:

Lowell it took me a few times to figure out the assholes at my favorite downtown parking lot were stealing gas from my tank....then I bought a locking gas tank and hide the keys....no more missing gas...also they don't park me in the back as much as before...hummm I wonder why

listo

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gringoloid says on Aug 6, 2007, 14:47:

Lowell has it right;,,,,these people are real con men.

Vic.....you´re killin me with that story!! That is one I never thought of.

So yesterday, there is this church close to where I live, and all day there was standing room only during the masses. I don´t think salvation is rubbing off on these people.

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vicshere says on Aug 6, 2007, 15:19:

I keep telling my wife only the liars and cheaters are going to church...even some of the little old ladies

listo

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critter says on Aug 6, 2007, 16:22:

The best way to convince me that you are a straight shooter or not has nothing to do with how often you attend church (yes, many hypocrites dwell in the House of the Lord...but they too will have to atone for their wrongdoings come judgement day). Just look me in the eye when you talk to me and give me a firm handshake, and I will automatically give you the benefit of the doubt. OTOH, if your (guilty) conscience won't allow you maintain eye contact with me...or your handshake feels like someone just handed me a wet fish, entonces "ya 'taz pilla'o pues" The eyes and initial physical contact, my friends, speak volumes about a persons transparency and true intentions (good, bad, or ugly).

"Spending eternity in a bad place is a long time!"

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Lowell says on Aug 6, 2007, 17:17:

Some of these people are real pro's. They can look you directly in the eye without a blink. All the while smiling and holding a knife behind their backs.

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

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Lowell says on Aug 6, 2007, 17:24:

And when you confront someone who has wronged you out comes the attitude. For the most part now I just keep quiet, they never work, do service or sell me any goods. For the most part I see that the Karma they creat does them a wole lot of damage. Anti-social, counter productive, self destructive, non-progressive.......... comes to mind.

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

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Robert Jorge says on Aug 6, 2007, 20:01:

Any good salesman can look a person in the eye. But not every good salesman is an honest person. There are a lot of sociopaths that can look a person in the eye and lie, just as easy as somebody else can put on a shirt. I have had firm handshakes with many of the shoplifters I have busted, before they realized they were minutes away from being cuffed.

--"I believe in making the world safe for our children. But not for our children's children, because I don't think that children should be having sex." - Jack Handy

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