On 9/13/2011 10:54 AM, Chris Barker wrote:
> Boris
>
> I meant it light-heartedly, but in the spirit of my own envy of Bob's work.
> I would love to visit, but I would have to let someone else fly me there, not
> to mention having to queue for hours outside the US Embassy for the privilege
> of being closely investigated by a very large and secretive bureaucracy.
Oh my, it it that bad?
And I suppose it's not like some countries where greasing the wheels with money
or influence is a way of life.
When I needed a commercial visa for Mexico, my late father-in-law, Martín, of
Mexican birth and very political, called
and made a personal appointment for me with the Counsel. I arrived at a room
with a corral full of people waiting and
(just like Mexico) many phones ringing and never being answered. I was taken
into a private office, where I had coffee
with some factotum and chatted, then had my business taken care of swiftly and
efficiently.
My boss, VP of a Fortune 500, spent an entire day there getting his visa. Being
egalitarian 'Murkin born and bred, I'm
not supposed to approve of that sort of stuff, but it's nice when you are on
the right end. :-)
Sometimes, I wonder about our egalitarianism, though. Martín also used to tell
stories of managing the hotel his father
and uncle built in Oaxaca. I think the stories originally came from his father,
but he had found them to be true. I
don't remember all the nationalities ...
"You can do anything to Americans, as long as you treat them all equally
badly." So if you get a complaint about a split
toilet seat that pinches, you tell them that you got a whole batch, and
everyone is complaining, and they are fine until
you can get it replaced.
"You can do anything to the French, as long as you do one special thing, just
for them." If there was a single perfect
flower in an elegant vase with a hand written note from the manager when they
went into their room the first time, they
will never even mention the pinching toilet seat.
E. Qual Moose
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