Friday, August 25, 2006

It's a small world after all

So last night when I was on my regular babysitting gig my friend let me know her impression of working with folks from India, namely that it can be maddening. She told me that because they do not want to disappoint (and let me apologize right now for using they. I am a Democrat and a bleeding-heart liberal and I don't want to lump a whole people together) they will typically tell you they will do something although they have no intention of doing it.

I'm worried I may be experiencing that right now. I spoke with someone yesterday and he assured me (after I told him I could be available from 9 am on with no problems) that if I was just by the phone at 7 am, someone would call. At 7? I said. Because I have a lot to do today. Oh, yes, certainly, at 7, no problem.

Well it is almost 8 and nobody has called.

I don't know about this.

My friend said I also need to be very careful how I handle their grasp of the English language, because in their country, to imply in any way that they do not speak/write it excellently is to insult their education level, a no-no. My job is to correct their English! So this should be interesting. My contact yesterday (an Indian) did tell me that they can write English for Europeans perfectly; it is our American grammar rules that are a problem.

After this job I am going to apply for one as a diplomat.

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