What exactly is a "strata?"

rocinante says on Apr 9, 2007, 11:58:

howdy "estrato" - look it up - it has been discussed here ad nauseum. Whatever UC has said about it is pretty much the bottom line.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

CaptainHowdy says on Apr 9, 2007, 15:11:

Well??? Had I been a member earlier, I'm certain I would have read the earlier posts. I wasn't, therefore, I didn't. So, I reiterate, what exactly is a strata? The time and effort wasted telling me it had been discussed before and to go look it up could have been spent answering the question.

Teaching preteens the things they need to know!

Azul says on Apr 9, 2007, 15:40:

No sweat Captain There are a handful of topics that seem to be asked over and over again, and sometimes people get touchy about that for some reason. I'll give you the nuts and bolts of them, but he was right about there being a ton more info using the search if you are interested.

For some reason Colombians like to label EVERYONE. Whether you are a Gringo or Latino, a Paiso or a Costeno, rico or pobre, you get a label. Estrato is just another way they label the different levels of living standards. Typically it goes from 0-6, but some people have the attitude of higher.

There is A LOT more to the subject, but when you are in Colombia this summer you will get a real feel for it yourself :-)

las cosas caen por su propio peso

packagegirl says on Apr 9, 2007, 15:52:

The socio-economic estratos in Colombia are basically determined by the income that a family receives, the level of education, the level of culture that they have and the place in which they live (neighbourhood). For example in Medellin, the major part of the comuna nororiental varies from estrato 1-3, these being the lowest, and el poblado is between 5-6, the highest, Belén 3- 5, Laureles, 4,5 y 6, Conquistadores 5, etc

aztec says on Apr 9, 2007, 16:08:

CaptainHowdy Please do a search on this site and you will find more information than you will ever need.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 16:11:

no captain howdy packagegirl just described it perfectly, you don't need to do a search.

adrimm says on Apr 9, 2007, 16:24:

It seems that it also is an easy way to determine targeted populations for social programmes and assistance:
http://www.bogota.gov.co/portel/libreria

I always considered it analagous to the differences between living in a district, municipality or county that has really high residential property taxes vs one that doesn't.

rocinante says on Apr 9, 2007, 17:20:

howdy No disrespect intended, but, it matters little how long you've been a member. There is a "search this site" feature on the left nav bar. You'll see a Google logo. I should have been more clear. It's spelled "Estrato" and I clarified that to help you in your search.

As Azul has pointed out it is asked at least once a month for years and years.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

adrimm says on Apr 9, 2007, 17:43:

LOL True Tinto and someowhat unfortunate! But incredbily amusing too.

CaptainHowdy says on Apr 9, 2007, 18:29:

Responding is optional Ya know, if someone asks a question or asks a question AGAIN, if you're terribly upset by the question, you are in no way obligated to respond to it. You can just skip it and let someone who doesn't mind answering it answer the question. Questions are asked to get an answer, not a response. As a member, I'd rather interact with the other members instead of doing a boring search. I'm sure there are more new members who have many questions. Some of the questions are new and some are questions that have been asked before. Either way, if you are not going to answer the question asked, then don't respond at all. Responding IS optional!!!

Teaching preteens the things they need to know!

Monpirri says on Apr 9, 2007, 18:50:

It does not matter how many times a question is asked. We constantly have new members and not all members know about all the previous topics.
If a good member has the information requested why no post it again for an interested member. On the same token, if someone does not want to answer the post that's ok too, it’s your call.
I see bad news about Colombia, in a one channel and then I see the same bad news in another channel and then I come here for good news and I see the same bad news posted here by a member who happens to be from Colombia. What's my point? We see bad news frequently, they duplicate and triplicate, so why not offer informative news for those who ask for it here at pbh.
Let’s share the information as many times as a concerned member request it.

Annette Taddeo for US Congress 2008

Robert Jorge says on Apr 9, 2007, 20:32:

Usually when people use the term estrato in conversation on this web-site, they are referring to housing. Houses / apartments in Colombia are assigned an estrato level. The above poster(s) are correct, in that it is a scale from 0 to 6. The purpose of having an estrato number assigned to a household is for service rates. An estrato 2 house pays a much lower millage rate on electricity and water than an estrato 6 household. It is supposed to make things a little more fair and affordable.

--"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

poco says on Apr 9, 2007, 20:37:

Some have reading deficits Estrato is just another way they label the different levels of living standards

This description is a good example of a reading deficit.

"Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov

Azul says on Apr 9, 2007, 20:43:

Estrato 25 Don't forget to ask spigrimace about estrato 25. jajaja

las cosas caen por su propio peso

utopiacowboy says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:11:

It has nothing to do with labelling people. The gringos are the ones who are obsessed with estratos as a way of labelling people. The Colombians themselves rarely mention estrato. Gringos want to be in as high an estrato as possible because they think it will get them status, safety and the prepagos they're drooling over. In my wife's barrio, they successfully fought reclassification to Estrato 5 from Estrato 4 because it would have meant higher taxes and utility bills. Nothing more, nothing less to them. Robert Jorge has it right not that he needs my seal of approval.

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.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:15:

Wow, I completely disagree with everything you just wrote utopia cowboy. I was actually just talking to my girlfriend who lives in Medellin, and she was explaining to me how estrato classification is used heavily as a form of discrimination among Colombians, nothing to do with Gringos, she said it was terrible.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:15:

she actually said that people get labelled according to their estratos.

mecca says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:16:

I'm glad this came up again UTC..once and for all. Let's get the exact numbers from different stratas on let's say base electric or water or phone. The reason i'm bringin this up is i'm familiar with 2 apto's at the moment one is in strato 3 and the other in 6. Unless the people are making numbers up, there's barely any difference in base utilities. Though i'm thinking the property taxes may vary greatly.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:26:

There is a large difference in the utility rates and the taxes. If what you're saying is correct, Manlred, the people in my wife's barrio should have pleased as punch that the city was reclassifying the barrio but they weren't. They were PISSED. Why would they be pissed? Wouldn't their status rise from Estrato 4 to Estrato 5? Nope.

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.

mecca says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:30:

I really don't think so UTC on the base utility rate issue.

Taxes, yes you're right.. after getting my tax bill for the last half of 06 and 07. Paid before Feb 28 for the small discount, big deal.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:30:

which barrio? is your wife in?

utopiacowboy says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:34:

Doce de Octubre.
Doce de Octubre.

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.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:35:

well, i don't blame them people living in estrato 4 aren't badly off, so if it meant paying higher taxes, well, more fool you for taking on an extra estrato level. That being said, I really don't understand the intricacies of the estrato system. I'm a second-hand info whore on this topic.

manINred says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:36:

doce de octubre... hmm, i don't know, never heard of it. belen-fatima is my locality in medellin, then again, i don't usually bother to get the street names down, just know my way around by touch, so to speak. i'll be back very soon, i'll work on getting to know the city inside out when i'm back.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 9, 2007, 21:54:

Contrary to what the majority here says, I almost NEVER here the word estrato used when discussing people, just HOUSING, TAXES, UTILITIES,NEIGHBORHOODS. I've said this before and I always get lots of people saying that it ain't so, but this is my experience in Colombia and I've been going there or living there longer than anybody else here (or thereabouts).

People in Cali do not say "strata 2 person" or "strata 1 people"; they say "people from the poor barrios" or name the barrio, "los de Aguablanca", despectively they are called "the pueblo" the folk, "la chusma" etc. there are plenty of peyoratives but strata is utility bills talk. I'm afraid many foreigners get confused by this basic difference especiallly since the strata lines seem to run parallel to the invisible but very real lines that separate people in a strictly hierarchial class society of Colombia.

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

goin_south says on Apr 9, 2007, 22:10:

God, I am glad Desi arrived here before me to bring more clarity and less confusion.
So, it's something Colombians talk about in relation to expenses...
Something gringos talk about more in relation to 'class'
(damned materialistic, prejudiced gringos.)

and, thank you.

aztec says on Apr 10, 2007, 03:57:

Thanks Desideria. Some people are just too lazy to do any research. This subject has been discussed ad infinitum. Way too much band width has been wasted on it and here we go again. Amazing thing is that the same mistakes continue to be repeated when defining/explaining the subject.

Gator says on Apr 10, 2007, 07:45:

Tia Desi is absolutely correct- does not really have anything to do with social standing-that comes from the barrio where you live. Basically the cost of public utilities, taxes and value of housing. Areas can have more than one classification of estratos.



Entire neighborhoods may not be one estrato-Chico Norte, and others, have areas that are classified as 4, 5 and 6. Where I live, Los Rosalas, has both 5 and 6 areas. Ours happens to be a six but a couple of blocks away is a five.

Some Estratos North End Bogotá:

BELLAVISTA 4 CHICO NORTE 4 LAS ACACIAS 4 PORCIUNCULA 4

ANTIGUO COUNTRY 5 BELLAVISTA 5 CHICO NORTE 5 CHICO NORTE II SECTOR 5 CHICO NORTE III SECTOR 5 EL CHICO 5 EL NOGAL 5 EL REFUGIO 5 ESPARTILLAL 5 LA CABRERA
5 LAGO GAITAN 5 LOS ROSALES 5 PORCIUNCULA 5

ANTIGUO COUNTRY 6 ELLAVISTA 6 CHICO NORTE 6 CHICO NORTE II SECTOR 6 CHICO NORTE III SECTOR 6 EL CHICO 6 EL NOGAL 6 EL REFUGIO 6 EL RETIRO 6 LA CABRERA 6 LAGO GAITAN 6 LAS ACACIAS 6 LOS ROSALES 6 PORCIUNCULA 6 SAN ISIDRO 6 SEMINARIO 6



"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

CaptainHowdy says on Apr 10, 2007, 11:41:

Well, good.. "the same mistakes continue to be repeated when defining/explaining the subject." aztec

Well, if the subject has been discussed before and the same mistakes continue to be repeated, what good would it do to search the subject only to find incorrect information? Apparently, the subject needs to be discussed again until an accurate description of strata/estrato is given. Desideria seems to have clarified the subject and, once again, if you don't care for the subject being discussed, responding IS optional. This has already been stated in this thread. I guess some people are just too lazy to read the entire thread....
Besides, look at all the replies. Apparently, there is SOME interest in the subject amongst other members.........

Teaching preteens the things they need to know!

poco says on Apr 10, 2007, 12:13:

I love this subject Apparently, there is SOME interest in the subject amongst other members.........

Received this email today.

los recibos de la elertrcidad hoy pequeño menos dinero

la casa de nosotros hoy pago menos impuestos por estrato 2 yo muy happy 15 porcinito menos

Ah, yes, a crappy living standard but 15% less taxes. I love it when the poor are helped out and so do the recipients.

Damn: I'd bet the taxes are less than 10 dollars per month. I'll ask her to tell the taxing authority she doesn't have a job and two kids who have a problem getting off their ass. That should be good for another minus 10%.

Oh, oh, tax due in a few days. I'd better head on over to Walmart, buy a carton of coke and get a Big Mac while I still have some money. Nice that Walmart leased space to McDonalds,, is this a great world or what?



PS: The low class 1 & 2 folks pay the SAME KWH electrical rate !!!! EVEN BETTER !!!! I still wonder how Rubito managed a 18.5K COP electrical bill living in a wealthy 4 area?

"Violence is the first refuge of the incompetent" - Isaac Asimov

CaptainHowdy says on Apr 10, 2007, 19:29:

More questions... I'm sure these questions have been posed before but I was wondering:

1) Are there any immunization shots that one needs before entering Colombia. A thread I just read on Parque Tayrona said you need a malaria shot but it wasn't checked. Comments??? (To read this comment, click on "Home" and find "Parque Tayrona" in all the things to do in colombia.)

2) I keep reading about "La perla del otun" and "Otun Lagoon." I have asked my friend I'll be visiting "como se dice otun" in english and she sent links to 2 websites. I have also checked my electronic dictionary, done a search on this website, and asked a mexican friend of mine. No luck in any instance. So, I humbly ask, what is "otun?"

Thanks for the help again....

Teaching preteens the things they need to know!

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 20:44:

Lastimosamente, mucha gente también usa los estratos para discriminar, y si es tema de muchas conversaciones. En muchos trabajos se fijan en el estrato de una persona para definir si lo van a contratar o no.

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 20:53:

Desideria, I do not know about Cali, but in Bogota and Medellin, yes, people place a lot of emphasis on estratos unfortunately. It's not only to do with how much utilities cost, and like I already mentioned before, employers discriminate when looking for work they look at your estrato first

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 20:58:

Furthermore here they are called socio-economic estratos because one cannot dissociate the two concept here in Colombia

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:20:

We used to visit people from the textile plant who worked for my wife. They usually lived in the lower estrato barrios because they did not make a lot of money. I guess she shouldn't have hired them. There may be a few individuals to whom estrato is important. However I never even heard of it being spoken about until I saw it on PBSH.

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.

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:28:

dude, it's clear what packagegirl is saying. she's not condoning the estrato behaviour, in fact she seems to do the opposite. She's a paisa and so is my girlfriend, and what they say is congruent.

I'd hazard a guess as to both of them understanding this aspect of the culture perhaps better than you mr. cowboy.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:35:

Right, ManlNred. You're the same guy who believed me when I told you "Doce de Octubre." Given a choice between listening to PackagePuta and Desi, I'd listen to Desi.

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.

mecca says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:35:

Actual story This takes me back a year or so, but talking to a girl from Cali keeps saying "stay from those girls from the barrio". I had no idea what the hell it meant. After hearing it several times, yep you know..had to ask. Well she tells me that "from the barrio" she's using that as strata 1/2. Goes on to explain that those "barrio girls" are low class, and you could hear it in her voice. I asked this girl where she lives and she tells me with pride that she lives in a 3 so????

It's sure is interesting to say the least.

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:38:

what are you on about??? I believed you when I told you about 'Doce de Octubre'? I don't even know what that is!

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:40:

oh, and no disrespect to desi But she is just a cyberpersonality to me, and she seems to deal primarily with Cali. I tend to get my Antioquia info from my real Paisa friends and family. All I'm saying is that what the cyberpersonality Packagegirl says is more congruent with what I've heard from the very real personalities of the wonderful Colombians I know.

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:41:

mecca... exactly!!!!!

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:41:

mecca... exactly!!!!!

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:48:

oh, and this is classic: pigeon logic so utopiacowboy, my opinion on this board is now a joke because YOU told me some pointless lie about your girlfriend's life that has no bearing on the discussion at hand and no relevance to me whatsoever... right.

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:48:

No entiendo que pasa aquí supuestamente este es un sitio para promover el turismo hacia Colombia, y para hablar de cosas buenas. Hablando seriamente Desideria, no entiendo como permitís que una "persona" como EstupidiaCowboy hable aquí. Es una de las personas más desagradables que he visto en foros en Internet, también una de las más groseras y más estúpidas, quien cree que conoce muy bien a Colombia que porque tiene una prepago Colombiana como esposa. Despierte estúpido! Colombia no sólo son prepagos y turistas estúpidos como usted. Deje de ser tan frustrado y vaya riegue su ira y frustración a otra parte. NO sea G%%&ON!!!

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 21:54:

Desideria, para tu información esta es como la tercera vez que este señor me llama Puta, me pregunto entonces para quien aplican las reglas aquí?

Rabeka says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:04:

sorry to interupt the little tiff that seems to be starting in this thread but does anybody know what estrato the Kennedy area of Bogota is? I couldn't find any info on this else where. Maybe I'm not looking hard enough?

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:06:

ignore him packagegirl utopiacowboy is a bigoted man who is neither funny like some of the more crass people on this forum, nor is he particularly insightful/constructive/knowledgeable.

I think the posters on this forum appreciate your insight as a Colombiana much more than his negative and lame insults to everyone who he feels like.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:08:

Most of it seems to be estrato 3, rabeka.
Take a look: http://www.metrocuadrado.com/contenidom2/ciudyprec_m2/inforbog_m2/informacingeneralbogot/ARTICULO-WEB-PL_DET_NOT_REDI_M2-2026901.html

click on: mapa de estratos de Bogotá

Cheers,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:09:

Si, y yo puedo mostrarla lo mismo! No recuerdas cuando llamaste mi esposa una puta?????????? Y este arriba: "tiene una prepago Colombiana como esposa." Yo no te digo nada pero tu empezas decirme malas cosas primero.

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.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:10:

Yes, your opinion is a joke because you clearly believe any nonsense anyone tells you.

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.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:16:

UC package girl is right, you're not allowed to call her "puta". We(the moderators) take a very dim view on name-calling. Please apologize first and then I'll delete the comment.

Cheers,
Desi

Package girl, we're all just cyber personalities, which does not mean that I don't exist. Perhaps people that you know have started using Strata for labelling people as a shorthand, the people I know haven't. I NEVER see it, for example in a newspaper article, as referring to people, the barrios are usually called "comunas". There can be two, even three different strata housing in the same comuna. It's just plain wrong to use the term for people, regardless if it's done or not.



"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:21:

I don't mind apologizing but is she permitted to call my wife a prepago or a puta? BTW, your opinions are worth more than 99% of the garbage posted here.

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.

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:25:

go to hell cowboy you lied to me about a trivial detail i could care less about. if i told you that there was an estrato 3 village in cambodia called chec-nemesh and you 'didn't not' believe me (just as I didn't not believe you) and then turned it against you to discredit your opinion, well, that's just childish and scummy.

Just like you :)

manINred says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:28:

and desi i think that's exactly what packagegirl was saying, she said unfortunately there's a tendency for people to be discriminated against due to their level of estratos, although it's unfortunate and incondonable. I think we can all agree that it's wrong.

Correct me if I'm mistaken Packagegirl.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:29:

It's the internet, dude! Most of the stuff here is lies and misinformation. Do you actually think anyone who wanted accurate information about Colombia would come here? Give me a break. You'd talk to your family and friends first not a bunch of anonymous strangers who have nothing better to do than post nonsense here.

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.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:37:

I think you both need to cool it down We also take a very dim view on anybody calling another person's wife a prepago. Package girl, I think you need to apologize as well. Utopia Cowboy, we've been here a long time and I remember when you first started here and you were (still are) very proud of your beautiful and well-educated Colombian wife but then people have been making crude jokes and you've turned pretty sour yourself. I don't like your abrasive jokes either, I've said it before, especially with people who are relatively new to this forum and don't understand or care for your type humour.

I know where you're coming from, I'd be insulted too if my Colombian spouse was offended and labelled here.

Cheers,
Desi

(I will be locking this thread soon, so make amends)

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

utopiacowboy says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:39:

Muchas gracias, Senora. Y a Packagegirl, lo siento mucho.

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.

packagegirl says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:41:

Desideria mecca y manlNred, entendieron mi punto. YO no estoy diciendo que eso sea algo bueno o que la gente lo haga frecuentemente, lo que quise decir es que lastimosamente algunas personas utilizan los estratos para discriminar a las personas incluive laboralmente. Esto lo hace mucha gente, no sólo gente que yo conozco, gente en general.
Te quiero aclarar que este señor siempre agrede a los demás, no sé por qué o cuál es el problema mental que tiene. Si yo le dije algo fue porque él empezó a insultarme a mi primero. No me interesa una disculpa de ese señor pues es obvio que tiene serios problemas. Y a diferencia de lo que él piensa muchas personas SI LEEN a PBH para encontrar infórmación sobre Colombia. Y qué se van a encontrar aquí? Comentarios tan desobligantes como los que hace que nadie necesita. En serio Desideria, con todo el respeto, a mi me parece que ese señor no es bienvenido aquí, no sólo lo pienso yo, estoy segura de eso. O por lo menos que cambie esa agresividad y grosería que mantiene.
manLNred, siempre eres todo un caballero y sabio en tus palabras, te pido también que no le hagas caso al enfermo mental este.

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 10, 2007, 22:58:

Hay un malentendido en todo esto, packagegirl. No estoy diciendo que no haya discriminación laboral y social en Colombia, pero segun mi forma de pensar y basado por la experiencia mia es por pertenencia a clases socio-economicas y no estratos que no son dos palabras sinonimas y no deben ser utilizadas en el mismo sentido, porque crea confusión.

Entiendo que estes acalorada y disgustada en este momento, pero UC te ha pedido disculpas. Estoy de acuerdo contigo que su manera abrasiva y su humor sarcastico pueden ser muy ofensivos sobre todo si se es recien llegado a este foro. Te recomiendo que reconsideres tu decisión de retirarte del foro y esperes hasta mañana (sea lo consultes con la almohada).

Saludos,
Desi

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

mecca says on Apr 10, 2007, 23:08:

Not to get in the middle of all this. But, I've got a question, probably stupid. I see people write PBSH or PBsH, I know i'm probably missing something really obvious, but what's the "s" for??

Thanks

aztec says on Apr 11, 2007, 04:39:

You two better... ...stop rocking the boat before we all drown. Sit tight for a while until the waters calm down a little.

Rabeka says on Apr 11, 2007, 06:59:

Thanks Desi
Thanks Desi

miamimike says on Apr 11, 2007, 08:19:

Don Gringo, Nice to See You Back, Bienvenidos,,, Let the show begin,,,LOL

"Wait a minute. What did you just say? You're predicting $4-a-gallon gas? ... That's interesting. I hadn't heard that." -- Feb. 28, 2008 --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.,

Robert Jorge says on Apr 11, 2007, 11:48:

manINred, I am going to take a wild guess, and try to perhaps answer your question about the "doce de octubre" comment that UC is now making fun of you about. I think he made the name of that barrio up. I don't see what is funny about it. He obviously wanted to see if you would believe him, so he could later use that as a way to put you down. There are lots of barrios with names that are dates. For example, some of my family lives in barrio primero de mayo. And don't worry, I won't make fun of you for believing me. It is the truth though. Maybe an interesting thread would be about barrio names.

--"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

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 11, 2007, 12:25:

for the umphteenth time I have never said that there isn't any socio-economic discrimination in Cali. Of course there is. Big time. It's just that the word "STRATA" is not used in that sense, but people prefer to use other terms when referring to people from poor neighbourhoods. I have NEVER EVER met a person in Cali who told me the strata standing of his/her property when being introduced. "Hello, my name is Desi and I'm a strata 6 person". The whole idea is ludicrous. It's always more like..."Nice to meet you. Where do you live?" "Oh, El Ingenio Etapa IV". "That's a nice neighbourhood". It would be extremely rude to tell or ask the strata of a person's house when people meet first time, it's like asking how much is he making or what's the family income.

Cheers,
Desi






"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe
they are free." —Johann Wolfgang van Goethe

"I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them."-President George W. Bush

mecca says on Apr 11, 2007, 18:22:

jajajaja...now Desi, that would be a funny introduction. When I posted what I said, it was a very good friend for a few years, it just kind of came up (her bringing it up actually).

Though i'll admit, i don't think i've heard it (that direct) since. All i'm interested in is that if i'm going to go and pick a friend up, they make sure they tell me that their barrio is safe.

Desi, we went up a hill trying to find a house for sale a few years ago. It was a great barrio (don't remember which one). It was on the side of a baby mountain, anyway. The owner kept saying this is such a great place for the house and you should buy because it's a dead end street. I thought great. The owners wife was telling me this several times (no one comes up here because it's a dead end street) I was overjoyed that was just perfect for me.

Then as we were leaving i asked the taxi driver to continue to the end. Well she was right the black top ended (ie. the official road ended). The driver took us a bit further up the hill on this washed out dirt road and boom!! A small town of pikies there. They were looking at us like a T-bone steak so we beat it pretty fast.

Needless to say, did not go for that house. So, even the best barrios can be on the border of something like that.

Brians says on Apr 11, 2007, 18:24:

I love PBH were else can you get a geat argument in spanish and english!! I get to practice my spanish by reading packagegirl and Desi and at the sametime watch a great fight:) Anyway DG I think you are somewhat right. I think it is just like in the USA. Some people are more about bragging and keeping up with the Jones. Being a material person is common in all cultures. I don't se it in my wife's family and they are estrada 6 but who knows maybe I just haven't noticed.

utopiacowboy says on Apr 11, 2007, 21:03:

Robert Jorge, there actually is a Doce de Octubre barrio in Medellin so I was not making it up. It was just a little test to see if he had any idea at all what he was talking about. And of course he didn't. Which is typical of PBSH.

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.

BxUnika says on Apr 11, 2007, 21:41:

at Utopia/Robert Jorge FYI, there is also a Doce de Octobre here in Bogota as well as Primero de Mayo, Veinte de Julio, etc.

webmanco says on Apr 11, 2007, 21:44:

7 de Agosto

But, I'm going to start making some assumptions here.... Which means I might actually end up making an ass out of myself ..........Thu 04 17, 2008 11:34 am

Gator says on Apr 12, 2007, 07:49:

utopiacowboy You are correct and it's up around Cra 80 # 103. Mrs. Gator and I went to church there, Santa María del Carmen I believe. In Fact there are two, Doce de Octubre #1 and Doce de Octubre #2 one just north of the other.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

Robert Jorge says on Apr 13, 2007, 01:26:

I was just guessing - like I qualified my statement. I guess I am not not into this site enough to understand why you (UC) set up and called out manINred. It just seemed a little ... petty? I obviously don't know much about stuff down there. I was just guessing you made up the name of the barrio. And yes, I know about your disclaimer statement that you now make clear. I wasn't as sharp as I should have been.

--"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