Living in a foreign country involves a full time job of observing, and one thing I've been taking notice of lately is the positive attitude of the working folk. I don't know if it's just because in a country with so many impoverished and so many living on the street any one with a job is happy, or if it's just because they are a happy people (I'm thinking both). But I love it. Everyone is always singing along with the radio, making jokes with each other, and of course playing with our kids.
There is a janitor in the food court at the mall that I always look for because he makes me smile. He doesn't complain or have a sour face because he is a "lowly" janitor, he makes a game out of it and entertains those he is serving. What he does when he goes to clear a table it grab things with both hand and deposit them in their proper place in his cart. As he goes on he gets faster and faster and faster until you're sure he is going to loose something or spill, but no. It's wonderful!
And the other day I went to buy a lamp and the light above the cashier was flickering and finally went off. Instead of getting huffy or frustrated the girls working there were laughing. One of them was holding a lantern and following the other around and they kept giggling. When it was my turn to be checked out the one with the lantern said to me, "By tomorrow we will need many more of these!" More giggles and smiles and I was doing it too!
Don't you think that sort of just happy to have a job attitude is lacking in western culture?
There is a janitor in the food court at the mall that I always look for because he makes me smile. He doesn't complain or have a sour face because he is a "lowly" janitor, he makes a game out of it and entertains those he is serving. What he does when he goes to clear a table it grab things with both hand and deposit them in their proper place in his cart. As he goes on he gets faster and faster and faster until you're sure he is going to loose something or spill, but no. It's wonderful!
And the other day I went to buy a lamp and the light above the cashier was flickering and finally went off. Instead of getting huffy or frustrated the girls working there were laughing. One of them was holding a lantern and following the other around and they kept giggling. When it was my turn to be checked out the one with the lantern said to me, "By tomorrow we will need many more of these!" More giggles and smiles and I was doing it too!
Don't you think that sort of just happy to have a job attitude is lacking in western culture?