it's a small world after all

It amazes me that in a city of 15 million people, few days pass by where I don't run into someone I know on the street/on the metro/in the bathroom. Despite everyone's unique comings and goings, we all seem to collide at some point or another.

I also love that after 5 months of being here, I acquired a quasi-routine in the goings about of my week. Thus, I routinely ran into a few crazy characters who brought a little extra excitement to my life. Though I do not know the names of these people, I've seen them so often that I've pieced together bits of knowledge about their lives and I've come up with little backstories for each of them. 

Character 1: Angry lady

Every night around 7PM, this young woman stands in front of a particular Cruz Verde pharmacy near my house and starts screaming at a poster advertising Garnier Fructisse shampoo. I never stare long enough to figure out what she is saying; however, I imagine that she is yelling at the models in the advertisement for creating such impossibly high standards of beauty. For example, this woman might yell: "Lady, you're hair looks perfect in that picture, but I bought Garnier Fructisse last week and my hair still looks like a rat's nest! I'm suing you for false advertising!"  

Character 2: Chilean Jon Krasinski:

Every Tuesday and Thursday after class, my two friends and I would eat at this Chilean restaurant near our campus. The restaurant was tiny - had maybe 5 tables or so- but it was ALWAYS packed with local businessmen and women who ate there on a daily basis. One of these men was honest to goodness the exact image of Jon Krasinski (Jim Halpert in the Office), but a chilean version. He always wore an adorable short sleeve button up shirt and a cute tie and precious navy pants. He'd walk in just as we were getting our check and I always spent those precious minutes just drooling from afar as my friends tried to snap me out of lala land so we could pay and leave. My backstory for him is that he works in a dull 9-5 job, perhaps as an accountant; but his true excitement in life is going to eat at this restaurant so he can get a glimpse of a cute american exchange student. But alas, no more :( Perhaps he'll transfer offices to Scranton, PA?

Character 3: Parking lot Einstein

In front of my apartment building are a few parking spaces. Along the sidewalk, there is a chair where Parking lot Einstein mostly sits and then ocassionally gets up to direct cars into spaces. When I first saw the guy, I thought he just a crazy man (I think he might have some sort of mental illness) hanging out in the parking lot. But now I just think he's a sweet old man trying to earn a living in a land of few jobs and crappy salaries. His amazing Albert Einstein hair made me smile every time I walked home. My theory is that he grows out his hair to protect his neck and shoulders from the sun while he sits in the hot parking lot all day.

It's going to be strange not running into these characters anymore, but I suppose it's time to establish a new routine and start observing some new faces.