We just need to finish these verbs....then you can go kill that snake!

I believe myself to be an open, respectful and relatively culturally sensitive person. Well, after a few weeks here I still find many things frustratingly inefficient, silly, backwards(aware of the danger of stepping on some politically and culturally correct toes) and just unnecessary...so, I am obviously trying to get rid of my Norwegian glasses(which I for some reason seem to leave on longer than earlier this time around...)
One thing in particular which I have found sligthly frustrating is the common idea that when someone asks someone for a favour or for help - IT HAS TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW....there is no: "Of course, just give me ten minutes and I'll be right there...". Of course this rapid response also has a positive side - making things happen quickly. But anyways, I'll now tell you how my frustration over such things, mixed with a temporary loss of listening skills and understanding the language, backfired almost fatally....(!)
Scene 1: Rolando and I were studying some irregular verbs and I was in the middle of explaining some rule which I am sure I partly made up as I went along..being the trained English teacher that I am. Suddenly, this woman comes bursting into the room asking Rolando to come to the directors office. As I had spent the morning waiting for people who were running from one place to another talking on the phone and what not, and was rather fed up with not GETTING ANYTHING DONE, I said: "We are just going to finish this section and he will be there in about five minutes."(probably with a sligthly annoyed voice) Well...the conversation continues as follows:
- Kari: ..so, where were we, the verb to catch. How do you conjugate that in past tense?
- Rolando: Hmm..I was just thinking about that snake...
- Kari: Snake?? What snake?
- Rolando: The snake she woman was talking about. The one just outside the director's office.
- Kari: Snake??Here? In the office?? WHAT?
- Rolando: Yes, that is why she came to ask me for help. To kill the snake. Because I am from the campo (rural areas) I have experience with killing such snakes.
- Kari (at this point feeling rather embarrassed): Oh my god ! Go, go! Get the snake!

So off he went to join the large group of our city-living snake-inexperienced colleagues afraid or the pinkish red 2-3 meters long creature....so, finally dismissed from his strict English class, rural hero Rolando came to save them all from the REAL snake swiftly moving around the grass outside the office...

Lesson learnt: I'll try not to expect that all calls for help or assistance at the office should - or can, wait 10 minutes....:):) Oh, and listen better....the word "culebra"(snake) should have rang some bells.....

PS: the snake got away..so stay put for the next episode!