Attn: Fe (Mechanics School)&Lazy Doms?

There are two threads below that I have written on: One was Fe's request about mechanic schools int he area and another one had to do with the question of labor and whether the Dominicans are lazy or not. This line of thought had come from a post about the poverty in the hills and partly from myresponse about "The Never Ending Question..."

So for both folks and for the rest of you, here is something I learned today that is, at least, encouraging.

We, like so many people here always have problems of mice in our oven. Oh yes. Since is is a ridiculous custom of most cooks here to leave food in the oven for those members of the family not actually at the meal. As so often happens, this food is often forgotten about by all humans, but never the mice. So the eat, and sometimes they eat the gas line or the wiring or the insulation--they don't really care much, do they?

Anyway, I had to get Heriberto down to fix it so I can go and cook some turkeys for my son and daughter's birthdays this month.

After he made it like new, we had a Coke and chatted a while while he cooled down a bit. In the conversation, he mentioned that he had to leave now, since he was taking a new course at INFOTEP on the new refrigerants being used to substitute the old Freon - 12 and Freon - 24 gases that eat up the ozone layer.

In the States this has been going on for some time now, but this is the Third World, and I was pleased to see it happening here. The course is over 200 hours of training for both home and auto A/C units....I am sure that they will be offering it again. These will be the only people authorized to do this work on all the A/C units, and they are given certificates of course work. I think it is great, don't you? Step by step folks....

HB

Hillbilly; yes I think it is great that the D.R. is getting involved in helping the rest of the world, for our son's and daughters, so they can have a wourld just as good or almost as good as we have enjoyed. Thank you for taken the time to put this post on the board. I think this is a great step foward for the goverment of the D.R. and maybe more third world countries will follow suit. Have a great day HB. Doug

whose work ethics (long)

> After he made it like new, we had a Coke and chatted a while while he cooled down a bit. >

From what I've observed, there is a growing lack in the US of common sense and courtesy. It seems to me Heriberto enjoys both. The fact that he took the time to have a Coke and chat with you would be seen by many executives as being lazy or unproductive. By others it might seem he was taking you for the Coke...

Seems to me, as is the custom in many Hot climates, a quick drink with the customer not only keeps the man going on his obviously long day, the chatting makes for good customer relations.

I doubt they teach that in institutions of higher education. But they should.

Who says our fast pace is the best? How many of us have been over-charged by the service company, or shunned by the person on the other end of the telephone - or the company doesn't even have a real person answering the phone? How many corners to we cut in the name of productivity?

I'd say, for the extra cost of a Coke, HB got a conscientious service guy, and for the welcome 'break' in his day, Heriberto got a customer for life. And I bet, the chat was interesting too.

Mice in the oven... HB. Thanks for reminding me how much I miss the place AND her people.