It's never a good time

 to be me the first few days in a foreign country (although the people at the airport were so nice it made for a better-than-expected morning). I hate not knowing where I am, where things are, what people are saying, and how to do most stuff. I used google maps + a website + the phone book here to find the downtown phone store I was told I needed to go to to unlock my phone. And this being day one, though my mission was accomplished, I returned to my hotel starving, defeated, and done. Problems encountered:

1. I am assuming today is an unusually warm day for winter, because I wore a sweater, boots and my rain coat, only to discover it was around 75. I decided to forge ahead, so I returned to the hotel as I arrived: needing a shower. Nevertheless, everyone here was wearing a thin down jacket or a sweater over a shirt. I found the ubiquitous jackets in these temps particularly curious.
2. After a good 45 minute walk to get a better idea of the lay of the land, I found my destination, which was not in fact the Entel phone STORE I had needed, but corporate offices. When I told the people at the front desk I needed the tienda for the Entel telefonico, they both pointed diagnolly up, saying what sounded like, "Allow." I decided to follow their fingers, which led me to...
3. A pay phone by Entel. Awesome. So close, yet so far away. Much like being in Paris and trying to get a presse de cafe, since we figured that would be how to say French press in French. Only that phrase usually led us to: a coffee shop; Italians buy an espresso machine; espresso machines for sale; and a coffee vending machine. It wasn't until we wandered into a Bed, Bath & Beyond type of store that we encountered said French press, which is named a cafetierre.

So I started getting a little upset, as I couldn't find the place I needed. I started back the way I came, and, due to the presence of a Starbucks & a Radisson hotel, I headed down a side street and decided to give the receptionist at the Radisson a try. He pointed to the mall across the street. A modicum of success!

There are people, there is a digital board displaying the #22 for the current customer. My eyes pop out of my head when I find the ticket dispenser, which gives me #55. I wait. I nod as subsequent customers come in, react as I do, & say words I don't get, but tones that I do. I finally tell person-trying-to-discuss-the-ridiculous-wait-#3 that I don't speak Spanish since having her repeat herself twice doesn't work.

When it is finally my turn, the conversation goes like this:

 Me: "Buenes tardes!"

Employee: "Hola, $%*)_%($)%_$_)%($_)_%)$95+$)(%+$_)%_$+)_%$+-?"

Me, blinking: "Uhhhhhhh... pago para telefonico international, pero... no."

Employee: "%)#_%)$($+%_$%+_$)%_+$_%)$_+%)?" 

Me: Confused

Employee: "$%_$(%)$_(%)_$()%_)?"

Me: confused

Employee: "%($)%*($ no responsivo?"
Me, exalting in a word I can recognize: "No. no responsivo!"

Employee, while flipping switches, so to speak, on the phone: "%$_%)($%($_ Chile?"

Me: "Estados Unidos. I pago Estados Unidos."

Employee: "($*$_() Estados Unidos o Chile? 

Me: Estados Unidos.

Employee: "%*$)_%$(_)%(_$?"

Me, pointing at phone: "No trabajo." 

Which I know means I don't work. So I did successfully state a fact. Just not one germane to the topic at hand.

ANYWHO, it only takes a few screens' worth of flipping switches before he points to the Entel name on the top of the phone, and seems to say it works. He even puts it to the dialer. I try Roberto's cell phone number, but after 1 small beep, a woman speaks gibberish. I try again, this time with the country code. The phone call is dropped. Next I try his work number. Again, no dice. The last time I try to carefully dial one of the numbers one more time, no longer sure if I'm calling his cell or office. It rings several times, than a woman again speaks gibberish, followed by a beep. I take a chance & leave a message.

So, the phone works! However, I haven't eaten since the 6:30 AM airplane breakfast. All I see are cafes, and since sandwhiches aka bread and wheat won't work, I walk on. I am excited to see a sushi place with delivery in English on the sign, and names of rolls also in English on a blackboard outside. It looks kind of closed, but i can see a table with people sitting, and it's about 15:30, so I open the door. I can immediately see that it's 3 employees. One of them says something in Spanish, which naturally I don't catch. I say, "I'm sorry," totally forgetting my spontaneous memory of, "Lo siendo" this morning. He says something else, but I leave because I have reached my limit of trying.

I am pleased to see the train station I also wanted to spot before. That will be tomorrow's mission, should I choose to accept it, though I know each morning I have to keep trying no matter how hard it all seems.

Close to the hotel I don't see anything other than another cafe, meaning bread, meaning no, so I harbor hopes that the cafe in the hotel is open. 

The evening front desk woman does speak English, though the cafe employee does not. The latter is irrelevant however, becuase the cafe's only open for lunch. She asks if I want pie or a sandwich, which is sweet, but sadly not going to help at all. 

I thank her, come upstairs, and start crying as I realize that I can't handle anymore language attempts or walking attempts or anything-outside-of-my-hotel-room attempts, and will starve tonight.

And I decided to sit down and let those of you vicarious viewers know that today is not the day you want to live with me, though Roberto took pity on me and offered to meet me for drinks (and food) near my hotel, as there are many. There probably are, in a direction I didn't go, since I went on 1 street to get across the river and the main street I needed.

But the other bright spot: I finally, somehow successfully took a photo with the phone of the river, and it also connected to the hotel's good wifi, so hey! maybe that'll work. Though posting it to facebook will require more mental gymnastics as I try to figure out what all the Spanish on my phone means.