Working with Colombians

It's funny working with Colombians sometimes.

Sometimes.

Other times it's just damn frustrating - bordering on insanely impossible.
But, perhaps, that's just my US citizen viewpoint speaking. Allow me to give examples instead of just pointing out some useless opinions for everyone (or no one for that matter) to read.

Funny: Edinson, one of the Colombian technicians with whom I work here on site, told me yesterday that he thought I made $10,000/month (I wish!). I laughed right in his face. I told him that I didn't even make HALF that and his jaw dropped. What'd he think - I was rich, or something? Okay, so it's really not so funny that I earn such a pittance for the amount of hours I put in. But at the time I thought it was pretty amusing.

Frustrating: I asked one of our drivers, Gonzalo - who speaks pretty darn good English, to go downtown and buy a few things for the site. Included in this list was a scalpel. I didn't know the word for scalpel (I do now) and I didn't have a scalpel on hand to use as an example to show him exactly what I wanted so I had to (got to?) describe it to him... And I did so in Spanish - "La cosa tu usar para cortando el guerpo en cirugia". Translation: "The thing you use for cutting the body in surgery." I also mimicked slicing into my chest like I needed a triple bypass or something. He smiled very big and nodded enthusiastically that he understood, a sign that I took to mean that he understood instead of the usual furrowing of his brow and asking me in English "WHAT?", and drove off after a hasty "Yes, sir!".
He returned with everything I needed except the scalpel. I asked him where the scalpel was and he showed me the brand new boxcutter he bought for us! A useful tool, indeed - but not for cutting open bodies for surgery! And, unfortunately, not what I needed.
It's now been a week and I still don't have that damn scalpel!!!