Situation 1: The internet
The internet where I live has been spotty, inconsistent and very, very weak. Usually it doesn't work at all. Everybody in the house is ready for a change, but we're all a bit wary of trying to quit the current internet provider and look for a new one because of the wasted time and bureaucratic hurdles involved. Processes like this in Brazil can be so nightmarish to attempt (especially for a foreigner) that they are almost comical. Almost.
The other day I resolved to start the process of taking the plunge and making the change. I walked to a nearby, recommended itnernet company and asked about the possibliity of signing up. They told me about the rates and service and then told me about the forms that I needed to fill out. "Can I do that here?" I asked. I was informed that no, I couldn't fill out the forms there but that I had to fill out the forms online. "Do you have wifi here so I could do that now?" I asked. I was told again that no, the internet provider did not have wifi available at their physical location. I was advised to fill out the forms online at home. "But I don't have internet at home, that's why I'm here - to install internet in my house" I explained. The internet company said that they were sorry but that they couldn't help me and turned to the next customer.
Situation 2: Cellular communication
Most of us in Belém use a cell phone provider called TIM because it's cheap. Unfortunately, because it's so cheap, service is down a lot, calls don't go through and messages get sent hours after their inital time stamp. One of the things that I hate doing is adding money on my prepaid phone. It seems that everywhere I go and every time I try to do this, the system is down and can't process my request. Last night I thought I'd go straight to the heart of the situation and wait in line at the TIM company store in the mall. After about 30 minutes in line, I asked the casheir to add about $10 to my cell phone credit. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said. "The network is down in the store today." Just to make sure I understood, I asked again, this time a little annoyed and incredulous. "This is the TIM store and I can't add any credit to my phone because the system is down?" "That's right," he said and then added, "But if you go to the pharmacy next door you can try there." After another 20 minutes in line at the pharmacy next to the TIM store I managed to successfully add some credit to my phone.
Situation 3: Buying a fan
Sean and I went fan shopping as we have been a bit desperate in the effort to sleep at night when it's so hot and humid. We picked one out and when we went to pay I asked to add on the insurance/return policy which always costs extra here. The cashier added it and then launched into a long speech in complicated Portuguese about something to do with the receipt and the pamphlets that he handed me. All I could get from the talk was that I needed to make a copy of everything. "But why do I need to make a copy of all of this?" I persisted. "Can't I just use the original to return it if I need to?" The slightly annoyed and frustrated cashier tried yet again to explain to me the reasons about a certain process that I could not figure out. I finally gave up and Sean and I let the store. Because what he said to me seemed important, I tried one last time with a different employee standing outside the store. Turns out that you have to make a copy of your original receipt because the ink fades and actually disappears after one week. Who knew?
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I've found that the more I try to reason and rationalize all that goes on here, the more helpless and drained I feel. The better approach Sean and I have found, is to try and just accept it, laugh about it and move on. When we tell these stories to our Brazilian students they just shrug their shoulders and say, unsurprisingly, "Welcome to Brazil."
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