Adventures in Hardware Stores

Are you intimidated going to the hardware store? Do you walk into a Home Depot, stare in dismay at the looming shelves, and walk right back out?

Or are you like me? A HUGE fan of Canadian Tire and Home Hardware and could spend hours strolling through aisles of nuts and bolts, screws and glues, hammers and files and drills, oh my!

This week has been crazy-busy with the new house, two tiny kittens, a three-pack of dogs trying to adjust to new surroundings, and Bert and I learning our way around home improvement.  I thought I would share some of the things we've learned so perhaps people considering moving to Panajachel or Lake Atitlan or Guatemala can get an idea of how things work and what things cost. Or maybe you just want a laugh at our misadventures! 😄

Central Ferratera. Looks big but is really only the first floor.

If you think hardware stores in Canada (or the U.S. or wherever) are hard to navigate, try doing it in Spanish! Plus, most of the hardware stores here have this weird setup. You can't just walk in, grab what you need from a shelf, pay, and leave. Nope. Here's how it goes at Ferretera Central, one of the big local stores here in Pana.

Walk in. Look at the very small selection of things on shelves and walls. Be confused. Notice people sitting at desks with a big sign saying "Vende" (Sales.) Wait for a guy to stop talking on his phone or chatting with his coworker or eating his soup at his desk. (This takes a while.)
Finally, when some poor dude makes eye contact with you, sit at his desk and try to explain what you're looking for. If it's not something you can point to on a wall, be prepared to use your best sketching and charade talents! The guy looks it up on his computer, gives you a paper, and then sends you to a counter at the back.
The counter is the front of the warehouse. The guy will bring you out what you need and show it to you to be sure it's right. You don't get to take it though. Not yet! He sends you to another window, the cashier, where you slide your money to a man whose face is literally blocked by a big sign. You just see his hands and the money and then he gives you a receipt.
Next, take the receipt back to the counter. He'll check it -- duh, I was JUST here 30 seconds ago -- and give you your stuff. You may get to go home now, or you may have to show your receipt and your stuff to a guard at the exit before leaving.
Congratulations! It took you an hour to buy 20 screws! 😆

Granted, this isn't the case in all hardware stores. It may just be Central Ferratera. I imagine they do it to prevent theft. I prefer going to the smaller hardware stores and just chatting it up with one guy who knows exactly where every tiny thing is in his giant mess of a store.

There are several hardware stores in Panajachel. The big three are Central Ferretera and Ferreteria Nueva, both on El Amate just down from the Despensa, and Mayasersa on Calle Rancho Grande. Ferreteria Nueva has quite a bit on display and the guys there actually came up and asked me if I needed help! Mayasersa has more stuff on display to browse, more like stores I'm used to, but it was kind of a run around to buy stuff with the recepts and the guards and all that.

Map of a small part of Panajachel showing some hardware stores I shop at.

The smaller ones that I usually visit are:
1. At the intersection of Real and El Amate. The older guy will speak English if you're really struggling but I think he prefers not to. I believe he told me once that he used to live in the States.
2. Up from there a little bit on the right is a green one, Ferreteria El Amigo. Nice guys. Lots of stuff.
3. Sometimes I visit the orange Truper store that's kitty-corner from there if I'm not finding what I'm looking for. No idea what it's called. Great selection of tools.
4. In the market, if you wander through the maze of stores on the main level there is a counter that sells all sorts of hardware stuff. He'll sell you two nails, if that's all you want. You have to ask for stuff cuz his store is like a Hidden Objects puzzle. I stood there for a few minutes and just marveled at how many different things were hung on hooks and tucked onto shelves and piled in bowls. I love it!

See below for some helpful Spanish vocabulary to take with you into the hardware store. Don't be shy! A smile and liberal use of por favor and gracias will get you what you need. Oh, and lots of patience. And some money. 😊

Another thing we had to do this week to get our house into a more liveable state was to buy a stove. Well, it's really more of a cooktop or something. It looks like this!

Our gas stovetop. I think they're called cocina de mesa in Spanish.

We bought the stove from Tropigas on the main street for only Q229 (about $40.21 Canadian or $31.25 US). We opened the box and all it contained was the stove. No connectors or clamps or hoses. Nothing. Hmm. Okay...

The helpful folks on Facebook -- including my buddy NJP -- gave us some tips on how to go about getting a tank of propane and the accessories. I ended up at Gas Express on Avenida Los Arboles, near to Gringos Locos. There was no one in the store, but a friendly and helpful Mayan woman walked over from a clothing store across the street and gave me all the info I needed. (Guatemala, I love you.) She got on her phone to confirm a delivery time with her husband or brother or father or whoever actually owned the store.

TIP: if you're just planning on staying in Guate for a short time, get a house or apartment that comes with a stove already. See why below.

So how much to power up the stove? Q530!! (About $93 Can or $72 US.)
The breakdown: Q350 "deposit" on the tank (which I'll probably never get back), Q105 to fill it (25-pound tank), and Q75 for a 2-meter hose, a double-clip regulator, and two hose clamps.
Ouchies!
I could have gotten things a bit cheaper perhaps if I'd shopped around at the hardware stores or other gas shops. But why? It would have wasted so much of my time. The nice lady explained everything to me slowly, added it up on a calculator for me, and arranged delivery. I was okay with paying a bit more to have it all done. And now we can cook!
(For the curious, the first things we cooked on our new stove were grilled cheese sandwiches. Ha!)

Little by little, poco a poco, our house is getting to a more comfortable state. Bert and I are hard at work fixing, cleaning, building, and organizing. Although we're only renting, it still feels like it's "ours" and we are excited to put our own touch on things. More pics to come, for sure!

BONUS! SPANISH VOCABULARY 😀
mi casa = my house
la calle = the street
el callejón = the little street (alley)
Nos mudamos a una casa nueva. = We moved to a new house.
Me mudé a una casa nueva. = I moved to a new house.
(I've heard Guatemalans use the verb trasladarse instead, so perhaps someone can comment which is better.)

una estufa = a stove
un espejo = a mirror
un tornillo = a screw
un clavo = a nail
un martillo = a hammer
la pared = the wall
el techo = the roof
un cilindro de gas = a cylinder of gas (sometimes called un tumbo)
veinticinco libras = twenty-five pounds (size of a small cylinder of propane)
más grande = bigger
más pequeño = smaller
Eso es demasiado grande. = That's too big.

Thanks for reading about our mad lives here in Guatemala. Here's some "kitten tax" to make your day brighter!

Queso and Noodles snuggling after a hard day of being adorable.

Spanish Break!

Yes, we moved into the new house over a week ago. No, we're not unpacked yet! Yes, I'll get a blog post up about it as soon as the place is clean and presentable. :)

And now for a Spanish break!
I will say it again, and louder:
LEARN SPANISH before you come here. Learn as much as you can! I believe it is the single most helpful thing to adjusting more easily to a life in a foreign country.

This morning, I'm practicing my Spanish vowels. I've figured out why Guatemaltecos often repeat back what I've said with a confused expression. There is a very subtle difference in the sounds of "a" and "e".

The other day at lunch, Arturo and I were talking about mangoes. He said the word back to me, "Man- go". I said, "Mang-goh". He said, "MAHn-go." Like, "watch the man go to the store." I'm sure he understood what I was saying but it was helpful to get a correction in the moment so I could practice and hear it back correctly.

Then I noticed how I say "Pana" and I'm doing that wrong too! I say "Pan-ah." But it's "Pah-nah". The "a" sound in Spanish is always the same, very much like "AH", open mouth.
 Now try saying "Semana Santa". HA HA! You know how we Canadians say Santa, like Santa Claus? Not so here in Guate! :) It's "SAHN-tah". "Seh-mah-nah Sahn-tah." (I'll get it right by next year when it comes around again!)

Next, I'm gonna work on the "e" sound. It's not "eeee" or "ay" but "eh". As a Canadian, you'd like I know how to pronounce "eh", eh? But we say "ay", with an extra "y" on the end. The "e" sound in Spanish is more like the "e" in "egg". So San Pedro, the town across the lake, is pronounced "Sahn Peh-droh", not "San Pay-droh."

For a video from one my favourite Mexican Spanish teachers, try this short one. She repeats herself a bit but she's very good at enunciating!

 

Funny Mistakes Speaking Spanish

We've been here a little over three months, and our Spanish is improving. However, we still mess up all the time! Here are some of the mistakes we've made.

We can mess up even something as simple as saying "Good morning".
"Buenos dios!" -- Good God!
"Buenos diez!" -- Good ten!
It's supposed to be "Buenos dias!"

Bert is always face-palming himself for saying good morning in the afternoon and vice versa.

I tried to pay Q15 for a bun that cost 50 centavos. That's like paying $2.45 instead of $0.09! She was saying cincuenta (50) which I interpreted as quince (15). Luckily for me, the young lady selling them was honest enough to refuse my inadvertent generosity.

Bert made his Spanish class laugh with this mistake.
Bert: Tengo hombre. (I have a man.)
He meant to say: Tengo hambre. (I'm hungry.)

I'm always forgetting which of these words is which...
libre - free
libro - book
libra - pound
So at the market, I catch myself saying, "Can I have a book of bananas, please?"

And here's my best mistake!
Waiter: ¿Cuál es tu nombre? (What is your name?)
Me: ¿Mi nombre? No tengo un nombre. Estoy de vacaciones. (My name? I don't have a name. I'm on vacation.)
I thought he was asking for my number, like my phone number. Nombre in French means 'number' but in Spanish means 'name'. I was confusing my foreign languages. He must have thought I was nuts!

Here is a video about a few other mistakes that thankfully we haven't made... yet!

Learning Spanish Like A Canadian

Canadians are a polite people, with some exceptions of course. We like to say please, thank you, excuse me, pardon me, and best of all... Sorry!

Please -- por favor
Thank you -- gracias
You're welcome -- de nada
Excuse me -- disculpe
Pardon me -- perdone, or con permiso
Sorry -- lo siento

The next thing you learn in a lot of Spanish lessons is the difference between polite or formal "you", USTED, and casual or informal "you", TU. The polite form is used to show respect for strangers, elders, and persons of authority. The informal form is used for friends, equals, and children.

How are you? (formal) -- ¿Cómo está usted?
How are you? (informal) -- ¿Cómo estás?
Do you have a map? (formal) -- ¿Tiene un mapa?
Do you have a map? (informal) -- ¿Tienes un mapa?

Did you miss that little "s"? Yeah, that's all it takes to be rude to someone! Although, I imagine most folks wouldn't be too mad about it as they will probably be able to tell you're a non-native speaker.

Here is another tip that I picked up along the way that  helped me feel that I can continue to portray myself as the truly polite and respectful Canadian that I am.
"Quiero un café, por favor." This translates to "I want a coffee, please."
In Canada, if a waiter asked you, "What would you like to drink?" and you replied, "I want a coffee," it would seem a bit brusque. We are more likely to say, "I would like a coffee, please." Or even just, "Coffee, please." Literally translated into Spanish, that would be, "Me gustaria un café, por favor," or "Café, por favor." But apparently no one says that in Latin America. It would sound strange or rude. So to fit in, start with, "Quiero."
Thank you to Ana at Butterfly Spanish for this tip!

Some other useful Spanish phrases for all the Canucks out there!

I am Canadian -- Soy canadiense.
I'm from Canada -- Soy de canada.
It's so hot today! -- Hace tan calor hoy!
I'm hot. -- Tengo calor.
(For more instructions on feeling hot and being hot, watch Ana's video!)
Beer, please. -- Quiero una cerveza, por favor?
I would like a bottle of water, please. -- Quiero una botella de agua, por favor.
Do you know how to play hockey? -- ¿Sabe usted cómo jugar hockey?
This coffee is almost as good as Tim Hortons! -- Este café es casi tan bueno como Tim Hortons!

Final bit of advice: try to learn as much Spanish as you can before you go, but remember to cut yourself some slack if you don't understand a lick anyone is saying when you arrive at your Spanish-speaking destination. Learning from videos or programs is way easier than the real world because everyone talks slowly and enunciates. However, immersion and practice in the real world will vastly accelerate your skills! Buena suerte!

Fun Spanish

My excitement for Guatemala waxes and wanes. Money issues have set me back lately, and I'm reevaluating my planned departure date of late January. It might be February now, although I hope not.

In the meantime, I am following the advice I've seen on numerous blogs: learn as much Spanish as you can! I''ve been slacking on my Fluenz and Rosetta Stone lessons but have enjoyed scouring the Tubes of You for learning videos. My latest addictions are: Señor Jordan, Pepa Pig, and Toobys. Yes, the last two are kids shows! They're fun and colorful and make me smile while I learn.

Below is one of my favourite Toobys songs. I'm trying to memorize it so I can sing it all the time... and it annoys Bert! :D

 

P.S. Está nevando MUCHO ahora!

No Hablo De Nothing

So it appears that Spanish is the language of choice for my travels. That's cool. I learned a bit when I went to Cuba, and I know some French, which is similar, so that might help with feminine and masculine words and stuff.

I've started with Duolingo. Fun and free! But I'm finding that the exercise are kinda... hmm, how do I say it? Useless? Random. Confusing.

For instance, I learned, "Los caballos beben leche." = "The horses drink milk."
Say what?? What kind of crazy horses am I gonna find in Latin America? (Bert says, baby horses!)
Another good one: "¿Quién soy?" = "Who am I?"
I mean, really? Am I going to be speaking a foreign language when I get hit on the head and forget my own name? Or do you think I'm going to ponder philosophical conundrums in Spanish? Nah, I'll stick with English for my existential crises, thank you very much. (Or should I say muchas gracias!)

I also got Rosetta Stone for Latin American Spanish. Eeks! It's intense. There is no English. It's supposed to be complete immersion, like the way little kids learn. But I have to confess that I cheated and copy/pasted some things into Google Translate to figure out what was going on! Still, it's excellent and a good add-on to DuoLingo.

I've also tried Fluenz a little bit, although I find it very, very slow. I just got frustrated really quickly with it, especially when my microphone refused to work. I've heard it's much better for learning proper pronunciation and common phrases that are useful to travellers.

I have one big pet peeve with the Spanish language. What is with the Bs and Vs and Hs?? It's almost better to NOT look at the spelling of the word and just listen to it. Trying to read the words gets me all mixed up.

For example, the word "huevo" (egg). How would you think that's pronounced? Hoo-ay-vo. Nope. Not even close. It's way-boh. HUH?? Where is there a W or a B in that word? If I was applying crazy made-up Spanish rules to English pronunciations, I would say "egg" as "hay-jee-gee". :D

I know, I know. English is even harder to learn. You can read all about our messy language here. I'm just saying that I think I would prefer to learn with my ears, and worry about the spelling later. Not like I'm going to be reading and writing in Spanish much. I just want to learn enough to be able to buy food and not get ripped off.
"¿Cuanto cuesta? ¿Qué? ¿Me estás tomando el pelo?" (Thanks, Google Translate!)

To sum up:
Duolingo, FREE, awesome and fun and easy but maybe not entirely correct, my fave!
Rosetta Stone, $$$, harder and very visual and more intuitive so maybe it will stick with me more
Fluenz, $$$, excellent for learning traveler phrases, but really really slow
SpanishDict.com, FREE, good for translating stuff
Fluencia, (from SpanishDict), only partially free, wasn't interested in signing up because I have the others
StudySpanish.com, FREE, great for looking up lists of things, like days of the week, and for getting in-depth on verb conjugations