Lauren: Tipping.

Tipping here is one of those things that is completely opposite from the United States. Anyone you can imagine tipping in the U.S., you don't tip here, and people you would never think of tipping you give a little extra cash.

I always thought tipping your hairdresser and cabbies was pretty much mandatory the world over, but apparently neither get tips here. The first time we took a cab, moving from our hostel to the apartment in January, I was scared to give the cabbie exact change. Would he give me a dirty look, curse at me, start screaming, pull out a gun even? No. He didn't expect a tip, although maybe that time I should have given him one because of the six gigantic suitcases he had to haul out of the car.

I always thought tipping was for doing a service that you appreciated, especially when someone does a very good job, like your hair. But that's totally unheard of here. As Daniela pointed out, it's their job. It's a cabbie's job to get you where you want for a specified fare, and hairdressers stay in business by doing a good job cutting people's hair. Still though, you would want to reward them for getting you somewhere expediently, or being especially carefully cutting your hair, right? Apparently, not.

That being said, there are a few services you tip for that you wouldn't in the states; for me, the strangest of these is the postman. You tip the mailman when he brings your mail, and if it's an especially important document you tip him extra, as much as $4USD! This puzzles me because it's not her/his choice what mail you get, but if (s)he's responsible for getting you the mail as quickly as possible, I guess that's something to tip for.

Also, the bag boy at the grocery store gets a little something as you leave the store. It may even be the only wages they earn, because they might only be allowed to be there by the grocery store; they might not be employees -- although I'm still not sure about that. You give the grocery boy/girl about $.20USD, but I can totally see this as a tipable job.

They make sure your bags are light enough to not break when you carry them home, and put the heavy things on the bottom. The first few weeks here, Aneya and I must have looked like cheapskates walking right by the bagger, carrying all of our change home.

Waitresses and waiters also don't exactly make good money in tips here, either. For dinner for four, an acceptable tip is $2USD, usually a little less than 10 percent of the bill. And some cafes will suggest gratuity for your coffee and then just keep the change.

That's another surprising thing. Sometimes, if the change is only a few hundred pesos, people will just keep the change without discussing it first! They just assume you won't care if they keep a few hundred pesos, which really only work out to a few cents and sounds kind of petty, but still! Who you tip and don't still remains a bit of a mystery.

-- Lauren