not in california, part II

one of the most distinct differences here is the attitude of the people. many times attitude is something you notice as you go along in a new place, but here it bites at you from the first minute you arrive. in a place where people dont have much control over their situation, they value any degree of power they have. there is no respect for lines, right of way, and especially no customer service. the other day i went to a cafe for my lunch break and ordered a pizza. after an HOUR (no jokes), the pizza was still "on the way, just a minute." our car was coming soon and we had to go, so we asked our waitress to either bring the pizza or let us know if its not coming. she said she would go get it so i tried to pay the bill. i went to the counter and the woman put my bill and money on the counter, ignoring it, and started dealing with other bills brought by the waitresses. coming from california, wher customer service is vital to the success of a business, it is definitely something to get used to.

on thursday night, sophie hosted a cocktail party here at the house for a group of consultants and donors. the consultants were there on an investigative mission regarding anticorruption. it was alright. its interesting to be around such qualified people, but i still miss being around people of my own education level, with similar interests. some great people came though: the secretary general of the central african republic, the french ambassador, and the consultants were from all over the world.

well, two more weeks. ill have some pictures next time i write. sophie and i are travelling from tomorrow until tuesday! keep it real over there.