Wednesday 2 May 2007

Enrique, malls and storms

Things I did after arriving at Newark:
*forgot to get power adaptor at airport
*confused self with automatic ticket machine
*reported lone piece of luggage at Airport Station
(station staff response was to mosey down to look at it after about 10 minutes and then wander around it for the next 15 talking on a walkie-talkie)
*used the term 'Circle K' to taxi driver and she didn't know what I was talking about (so that was modified to '7-Eleven or something like that')
*discussed taxi driver's boyfriend's temper
*discovered that there is free hotel shuttle to convention center!
*ditto for free shuttle to mall (initially exciting)
*went to Menlo Mall on free shuttle
*hung out outside mall with scary bus stop people waiting for shuttle to return (you British people will not understand this and will think I am being rude. But there are a definite majority of scarier than not people at bustops in the US. Although I did get change for a $1 from a nice lady from Columbia/Cartegena and we talked a blue streak then.)
*watched some rubbish t.v.
*went to sleep about 7pm
*woken by lightning at some point (hoorah for thunderstorms!)
*awake since 5.30am this morning. yay. although bed is remarkably comfortable!

When the shuttle took me to the Menlo Park mall (isn't that where Edison invented the lightbulb? Well, not at the mall, gaaaaaahhh. But yes! Although maybe it is sound... don't have time to read right now.), I BEGGED Maria from Argentina to wait for me as it would only be 5 or 10 minutes to go find power adaptor and come right back out. Perhaps due to language barrier, perhaps not, as soon as I was inside, she drove off (my Radio Shack adventure took literally less than 5 minutes).

My instruction was to call her at the hotel. I did not have any US coins (no sniggering, please), so had to get a Dasani from the machine (for the robbery price of $1.25) so's I could have change for the (icky) payphone at the charming rate of 50cents! Then was on hold for 5 minutes (all the while Maria is no doubt driving like mad back to the hotel), before they agreed that the shuttle would come back and get me. Also, I should phone back in 10 minutes just to check -- don't have any coins ma'am -- okay, it'll be there. Sat outside feeling very out of place, alarmed at the Jersey/hispanic accents all 'round, clutching my power adaptor for comfort.

After about 15 minutes with no sign of the shuttle, begged for change for $1 from nice lady, blah, blah, blah; shuttle finally showed up, driven by Rrrrufino (you have to trill the 'rrrr's, you know, or you have to say it again). Maria had obviously fled after her callous abandoning of me at the mall. Rrrrufino is the chef. He is from here (but not really so much). He is actually from the Dominican Republic and he like to talk, although am not really sure that I learnt very much from him. You leeve in England, nice! Edison, nice. Beeg house, nice! You leeve in Loosyanna, no? I think he has four daughters: one twin (or maybe that was 20), one 10, one 5 and one almost 4. Attempting to engage in various conversation was amusing.

Re: being a chef--
A: Oh, you are a chef! That sounds interesting and fun!
Rrrr: Yes!
A: What is your favourite thing to cook?
Rrrr: Yes, I cook!
A: What do you like to cook most?
Rrrr: I cook!
A: But, what you like to cook, do you like cooking anything more than other things?
Rrrr: Oh, I cook everything!

Re: vacation --
A: So, you go to the Dominican Republic to see your family. Do you travel much in the US?
Rrrr: (blank look)
A: You travel to Domincan Republic to see your family, right? And so do you travel anywhere in the United States?
Rrrr: My family, they leeve here!
A: Do you travel much in the United States? To see things?
Rrrr: (raised eyebrows)
A: Do you go anywhere on vacation?
Rrrr: Yes, I work at hotel for 2 weeks!
A: But do you get to go anywhere fun in other parts of the US... like Las Vegas or Los Angeles... (fade)
Rrrr: Ah! My brother, Enrique, he work at 2am!
A: Aaaaaahh, right!
Rrrr: He work in (unintelligible) and (unintelligible)
A: Aaaaaahhh! I see!

*******
Headline News items involved: immigration protests (illegals protesting...hmmm... for the right to be full citizens. This happened all over the nation yesterday. There was violence. Shock.); new audio tapes from Kent State (how do things like this get just stored for 33 years? Are these things real? And if these people have had this info, why have they just sat on it?); impeachment crap; Britney Spears' come-back; Iraq funding.

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