Just the right question

• Is Maria here?
• No, Maria is not here.
• Do you know when she might come back?
• No, I don't know when she might come back.
• Do you know if she's OK?
• Yes, I think she's OK.
• Can you tell her that Debra came by and I really want to see her....I'm the nurse that has been caring for the wound on her leg.
• OK, I'll tell her.

This conversation (or one very similar) happened every Thursday nearly every week since the first week of May. Maria has a tremendously nasty leg wound. With the help of another Guatemalan, we'd been able to clean and bandage the area at least once a week since last Nov and we'd seen great progress...until May when I couldn't ever catch up with Maria. It was strange I couldn't find her, and knew how much she appreciated the Aleve to help with her pain.

Then, about 2 wk ago, when the above conversation was once again being repeated, something happened. This time, the person at Maria's house gave one tiny bit of additional information at the very end....."Maria doesn't live here." AGHHHHH!!!!!!

I (we) have begun to learn that we need to very carefully choose our words to ask very specific questions. The person at Maria's house gave me correct answers....but I never asked the most important question...Does Maria still live here? In the USA, the person at the door would've probably given that info the first time around. I wonder if I'll ever get my brain to start thinking like a Guatemalan.

Just for your amusement....

Last Friday I ordered a large supply of parasite medicine from the pharmacy. Today I called the pharmacy and talked to my normal contact person.

• Is my order ready?
• Yes, your order is ready.

2 hr later at the pharmacy:

• I'm here to get my order
• Sorry, only part of your order is ready.
• But you said on the phone that my order is ready.
• yes, it is ready....part of it.

Lesson: Ask what you really want to know.... is my 100% of my order ready right now?

Today Ginny and I and a couple others go to see a kid and his mom at their house.

• Hello, is Alex or his mom home?
• No, they are not here. Who do you need to speak to?
  
• We need to speak to Alex's mom. Do you know when she will return.
• Yes, about 4pm.

Later at 4:30pm

• Hi, I'm glad we found you at home. Where's Alex?
• He's not here. He's at his Grandma's house.

Lesson: Ask when Alex AND his mom will be home.

And for one more chuckle...
About 2 wk ago at the pharmacy, around noon:

• I need such and such medicine please
• OK, and today we're having a sale, 25% off
• Everything is 25% off? (I thought this was the right question.)
  
• Yes, everything
• OK, well I'll take this and that and this and that
• OK, you're price is X amt, minus Q37 (Q= the type of money they use here).
• Why Q37 instead of 25%? (I would've saved much more with 25% off)
• Because the sale is for up to Q150. If the total is more than Q149, then you only get Q37 off.
• OK. Well, since there is no flier or announcement of any kind regarding this sale, is there any way you can call me (since I'm a very steady customer) when you have a similar sale?
• Oh, we always have a 25% off sale every Monday.
• What? I've been here since Feb and you never told me this?
• Oh, sorry. But if you want to order something else now since there's a sale, I can do that for you, but only for the next hour.
• What?
• The sale is only on Mondays between 11am and 1pm, and again from 5pm-7pm.

The reason there is a crack in my bedroom wall is because that's where I bang my head.
Lesson: Ask if there is a particular item is on sale, and/or when there is a sale and for how long and for up to what amount, etc .

I'm not kidding you....this is the sort of stuff that makes me crazy! Is it any wonder my hair sticks straight up?