One year ago, I took a trip to South America with the conscious of a US American. I found lots of things that I thought funny, weird, and different. I particularly railed on the bathroom situation in lots of poor places as an indicator of difference between the places I consider home and the strange land of South America.
Since then, the hammering man continues to wake me up every other day in my apartment. I continue to get bad internet connections (like now). Waiting for the bus in my new hood, which is filled with uber rich and uber poor people, it takes some folks 10 minutes to board. They don't board with live chickens, but they do sometimes bring their lives on their backs in trashbags.
Today, however, I think I've seen the missing link. I went to the toilet in the cafe in an up and coming part of town, and saw this:
Full circle indeed. It seems that toilets in America, maybe even in your hometown, also can't handle toilet paper. And there it is. People are people. Americans are Americans. Toilets are toilets. and Poverty is poverty.
And so I must return to South America, with this newfound and strongly held realization, to see what lessons that continent has to teach us up here in American dreamland. Apparently, we suffer from the same issues as they do down South, we are just better at times at hiding them. So, farewell for now to Chicago, and hello new unnamed city and position in South America. 
I think you had a very good experience in South America!!!. The pictures you have displayed especially the toilet one shows your horrible experience over there.
Posted by: Hiking In Israel | January 16, 2008 at 08:18 AM
Very interesting story! I have been in South America too, because i have some business there. The most strange thing for me was the different office furniture. The colours everywhere were so bright!
Posted by: michael jones | August 16, 2007 at 02:38 PM
hmn, one thing... south america ain't a continent... oh, but you're from the us, i should've expected.
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Posted by: coca-blog | August 07, 2006 at 07:19 PM
That is so funny....but in the end you are right. People are people no matter where they are at.
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Posted by: coca-blog | June 03, 2006 at 09:08 AM