Ok, so I originally dreamt of having a hipster barista in a coffee shop knowing that I wanted the fair trade/shade grown/organic/Rainforest Alliance certified/ethically traded drip coffee with a splash of organic soy milk, and having him/her hand me the coffee in a reusable mug five seconds after walking into the hole-in-the-wall shop while possibly heating up my organic/48 grain-seed/locally sourced bagel.
The reality is less hipster and definitely not as good for the environment. Instead, my "regular" shop is called Papelería Lucas, and it's right in front of my apartment. I suppose that a papelería is best translated as a stationary store, although Lucas has everything from printing to phone booths to mini-Snickers bars to glitter glue. I go in there regularly with my flash drive to print things out for class, but I also stop by to put money on my cell phone, buy highlighters, use their internet, and to ask advice about where to buy electronic adapters, printing cords, etc.
Now, whenever I go in Lucas, the very friendly owner greets me with an "hola, veci!" Vecina is the word for neighbor and he knows I live close, so I've been bestowed the greatest honor- a personal nickname! He reaches out for my flash drive and knows right away to look under the folder "Michelle" and then "third trimester" before asking what I need to print. He can input my cell phone number by heart if I need to put more money on it, and it's OK if I don't have exact change because he knows I'll pay him back the difference the next time. Sometimes I see him on the street and we saludar and then leave with a "chau, veci!"
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