Correspondent Tom Wilmer shares two short tales:
A travel journalist friend on assignment for the Boston Globe is standing directly in front of me in the Guadalajara Airport customs line. The customs agent asks my friend, "Are you Santiago?"
We both concur that it is probably some sort of trick and it is possible that we might be in deep trouble no matter how he replies. My friend turns around, stands at attention, looks directly at the customs agent and firmly proclaims. "No. Sir, I am not Santiago! The officer gives my friend an incredulous look as he retorts, "What? I say to you, are you Sunday, Go. You go home Sunday?"
The Island Wave
Wilmer reports on the art of waving or flashing headlights at strangers and friends while driving around islands.
“As we careened down a narrow roadway on the Caribbean island of Nevis, my driver, Daryl would flash his lights at each oncoming car, and they would respond in kind.
I quickly learned that the locals here have a sophisticated language of communication connected with the flashing of their headlights. It’s not just a single flick of the high beam, there’s a libretto of variations, depending on what needs to be communicated.
I said to Daryl, “Dude, I think that guy is trying warn you of something,”
“Oh No. No worries, Tom, that’s my buddy and he’s telling me, ‘sorry Brah, Don’t have time to stop and chat just now, I’m in big hurry”.
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