Sunday, July 19, 2009
In Search of a Queue...
I can't help but compare this Study Abroad experience with the one we had in London. There are so many differences, yet some things remain the same. One of the biggest differences we noticed right away is cultural--standing in lines. Nobody manages a queue better than the British. Italians don't have the same concept of standing in line that we are used to. Gary & Carson had this pointed out to them in several times the first few days. The first time was in the London airport when an Italian woman cut in front of them at security and then again at customs. Another time was when they went to the Vatican. Gary had arranged for the students to attend an audience with the Pope--along with about 10,000 other people. They had arrived to pick up the tickets for the group and got everyone together in a general idea of a line, but as the time for the meeting to begin, more and more people crowded in front of them. Needless to say, when the doors opened, the crowds just surged around them (I guess this happens at home too). Last night at the gelato shop (a pretty famous and very busy one, I might add), we were waiting to be served when a man just crowds right in front of all of us and starts waving his ticket at the men scooping. Gary was waving his ticket too (you pay first at the cashier, then show your receipt to the scoopers), but I guess he didn't look Italian enough because the other guy got served first (and he had like 8 people with him). Whatever. It all worked out, we got our gelato and it was yummy. I have found myself longing for London when everyone just pushes their way onto the bus, instead of lining up nice and orderly in a lovely British queue.
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The queue may be the most significant contribution the English have made to world civilization. What I like about the English is not just that they dutifully stand in line but they glare in quiet indignation at anyone else who doesn't. This reminds me of a story. I was with a travel group once and we were boarding a train in the Netherlands (where people stand in line). Some poor person from Italy found himself at the end of a very long line. He was getting impatient and agitated, so he just walked to the front and started demanding the attention of the clerk. The clerk asked him politely to return to the end of the line, which he did. But he had lost his place. Again, he moved to the front and was again sent to the back (where he was behind several new people). I suppose the idea of standing in line is confusing to people from Italy as the idea is to us of just rushing the counter and trying to get the attention of the clerk.
ReplyDeleteOne day while at the recommend desk at the Washington, DC temple a busload of Chinese tourists comes in. Their idea of entering the temple was to gather in a big clump of humanity around the desk and wave their recommends in the air.
ReplyDeleteA line is much better.
I'm sure in real life the cutting/crowding in is very frustrating (especially when waiting for paid gelato), but reading it is absolutely hilarious! I can appreciate the British queues better now -- they seemed to be ever present and long, but order is a good thing. BTW, we were wondering at book club how we can get some of that gelato. Terri never tried any when she was in Rome!?!
ReplyDeleteI can totally believe you prefer the British orderly way of doing things! :)
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