1. Do you understaaannnnd English? My legs could barely move after walking all day the Roman hills. By 4pm my legs were begging for a rest and a kick; there was no way I would go back to the hotel so early! There were at least 3-4 more hours to enjoy! I definitely needed a coffee and a seat. I found a self-service place and went to sit outside, at one of the tables on the sidewalk with my coffee. There were some other young people at other tables. Hardly after my first sip, an infuriated waiter comes and asks to the guys at the table by mine: “Do you understaaaannnnddd English?!?!” Yes. “What does it say?!?!” The small signs said: “Please do not sit. Reserved.” But there were at least 8 tables and all of them empty and Reserved! They were sent inside and if you are thinking that I had the same fortune, you are just right.
2. Putting heat through the air conditioning. The air conditioning of my hotel room was too noisy, and even though I had not complained, apparently my sensitive neighbor had complained so many times that the hotel called the technicians in. The concierge, a young Brazilian with whom I chit-chatted every now and then in English, called me at 10am to see if he could send the technicians upstairs to my room. “Please give me half-an-hour to get ready. No one told me to expect them.” Fifteen minutes later, he calls again. “Not yet! I had never been told that these guys were coming. I call you when I am ready.” And three minutes later three guys are knocking at my door. I thought: Ha! This is their way. Fantastic…, clearly not a problem of English comprehension. They will have to wait outside my door until I am ready! And so they did…
No comments:
Post a Comment