Bring up the past

In the last few days, I have had some comments on a post I wrote on the 29th of October, 2008, called
Rude Kiwis...again!  You can click here to read it if you want. I blogged about this subject on several occasions, mostly as a matter of cultural differences and have since moved on to other things to blog about.

This particular post has had 2051 views so far, so, obviously, there is a fair amount of interest in the subject matter. That makes me wonder why people end up on my blog. I know that a couple of my posts have been discussed on some forum boards, but I can't pinpoint any reasons for this one to be so popular.

Funnily enough, this was one of the first blog posts that I got a comment on, but I decided not to publish it because it was from a New Zealander (one of more than a few) who proved my point by telling me to go back where I came from because I'm not wanted here, anyway. Anonymously, of course--which is why I don't allow anonymous comments any more. Ah, the irony.

Nobody cared when I said it!

This is an article from the South Taranaki Star. Underlining is mine.
Really that bad? Yes!

Hub Catering operations manager Shona Nicholson is horrified at service in the area and says something needs to be done fast. She is calling on Taranaki businesses to get in touch and create a workshop to have service standards taught immediately.

Bizlink town manager Jane Burke agrees and says she is not sure Hawera retailers are aware of how their staff treat customers.

Rugby World Cup 2011 organisers have created a free online course – ‘‘First Impressions Training’’– to help frontline staff prepare for the Cup.

Mrs Nicholson recently spent several hours travelling from New Plymouth to Hawera delivering Halimoana business award nomination forms to Taranaki businesses.

She says it was part of the worst hours of her life and left her totally depressed.

‘‘No-one had a smile about them,’’ she says. ‘‘I was really disappointed, there is only one [shop] I would go back to.

‘‘We are not going to meet satisfactory standards as far as the World Cup goes.’’

But Mrs Nicholson has never been one to complain without putting in a bit of effort so she is offering to host a workshop for customer services staff throughout Taranaki to improve public relations before the World Cup frenzy hits.

‘‘It’s all about presentation and customer service, I just feel that Taranaki as a whole has lost it somewhere.’’

Jane Burke says, unfortunately she has to agree.

‘‘I definitely feel there are businesses out there where maybe managers or owners aren’t aware of how their staff are acting,’’ she says.

‘‘Many businesses in Hawera as a whole have room for improvement.’’

‘‘It’s learning how to deal with the customer right there and then, it’s something Bizlink would like to address.’’...

From the South Taranaki Star.

I have written a few times (ok, it's been more than a few times...) about how I find the customer service here lacking.  If you have time, you can click 'rude kiwis' in my label cloud and read more. So, now I am proven correct and all you people that sent anonymous comments that said '...if I don't like NZ, I should move back to the US because I'm not wanted here anyway' can bite me!

Are Kiwis rude?

This is a question that I have been trying to answer since I arrived in New Zealand four and a half years ago. (You can click the 'rude kiwis' label to read my earlier posts on the subject)


For those who haven't followed the whole story, here's a quick recap:


Being from America, I tend to like Americans. What was 'normal' behavior for Americans, in my humble opinion, was (mostly) having strangers in the store or on the street make eye contact and smile. 
It was (mostly) courteous drivers who looked out for pedestrians. 
It was (mostly) people staying out of the walkways so others can easily maneuver around you. 
It was (mostly) those in places of respect and responsibility holding their tongue until they get the facts straight. 
It was (mostly) drivers allowing you to pull out of a parking space in safety, even if they didn't intend to use your space.
It was (mostly) courteous salespeople who smile and speak to you and act as if they know you are the reason they have a job.
It was (mostly) folks willing to do 'the dance' with you with a smile.[You know 'the dance'...that shuffle you both do back and forth, trying to decide who is going to which side so you can both get through a tight space, all the while looking at each other and smiling (or trying not to giggle)].


These things don't exist in any abundance in Taranaki. Here in Stratford, there is little tourism and thus, Hubby has been trying to convince me that it is in solely this area folk that are lacking American-style congenialities and not the country as a whole.When we go to other areas of this country, things are a bit more friendly, as Hubby is quick to point out. However, those are usually touristy places and, to me, it's logical PR to be nice to tourists.


Well, after our vacation holiday to the South Island, I am going to have to say that I believe he was right all along!


We stayed in Richmond (just south of the large city of Nelson) which has a population of about 15,000 (with lots of tourists staying the night and passing through). Of course, there was the world-wide obligatory summer road construction going on just outside the entrance to our rental but we never had a problem getting out in traffic because there was always a driver that let us out. I was gobsmacked.


I went shopping a couple of times at the local Pac N Save (huge chain store) and only once did I find a shopping cart trolley in the middle of the aisle unattended. The check out ladies were smiling and chatty. It was wonderful!!


In the parking lot, drivers patiently waited until others pulled away before getting into the abandoned spot--unlike Taranaki, where they would be in the spot before you could get the car out of 'reverse'.


In the mall (yes, an actual mall, not a string of 4 storefronts together), children were chided to behave. When Hubby spoke to a little girl of 3 or so that had bolted away from Mum, Mum smiled and spoke instead of giving Hubby 'the stare'.


One day, he also got actual comments on his t-shirt (it says 'save the planet, duct tape can't fix everything') for the first time in the 3 years he's been wearing it. 


I feel like we were in a different world for the time we were there. Maybe it was the size of the town. Maybe it was the 'touristy' mentality. Maybe it was other tourists who were the polite ones. I don't know.


But I do know that Hubby was impressed enough to put that area at the top of our list of possible places to move to when the kids get out of school. I can't say I blame him. And I certainly don't disagree.

South Taranaki, the armpit of the universe

An article on the front page of the South Taranaki Star, Thursday, September 30, 2010

I couldn't find this story online, so I scanned the article for some semblance of credibility. I'll rewrite it exactly how it is written so you don't have to squint to read it.

Shouting and swearing, a man stormed into the South Taranaki SPCA to dump a ginger and white male cat, calling it a pest and saying he just driven 20km and wanted it "shot, drowned or knocked on the head".

The cat-rage incident on Friday left staff members stunned but they were alert enough to jot down his car details.

SPCA centre supervisor Atholl Byers says the cat is very friendly, in good health and obviously someone's loved pet.

"We believe the man was rude and refused to leave his details because he knew it was someone's pet, possibly a neighbour's.

"I was on the phone and the man started shouting at my volunteers who handed him a sign-over form so that we could legally take the cat into our care," Mr. Byers says.

"He flat out refused and was very rude to our SPCA volunteers.  I had to tell the person I was on the phont to that I'd call her back. 

"I politely explained to the man that in order to take custody of the cat, no matter what the reason is, we have to have a signature.  He was very aggressive towards me and shouted at the top of his voice.

"He said he had driven 20km to bring this 'f***cat' here and I'm not signing any form.

"He said shoot it, drown it, knock it on the head or something I'm not signing it.

"His wife stayed very quiet, I tried to explain again that we would take it, if like everyone else, he could just give us his contact details.  He turned around and shouted to his wife, 'We're out of here'."

Mr. Byers says he asked one of his volunteers to write down his number plate and make/model of car.  He has just dumped or abandoned an animal.

"Sadly the plate was a number short on the silver car.  (The number has been recorded by the SPCA and the Star).

"The cat is a very lovely tame and social animal.  It is by no means a stray.

"The man was obviously a cat-hater of sorts, viewed the cat as a pest to himself and has probably picked it up on his street.

"I'm not surprised he didn't want to put his name to it and got so upset because he new he was trying to hand us someone's pet to put down."

**If this is your cat or you th ink you may know who it belongs to, please contact Mr Byers on 278 5605, PO Box 648, 62 Beach Rd, Hawera, or spcasouthtaranaki.co.nz.

I did find it online here 

My neighbors are ignorant as well as rude

We moved into a new rental home just before Christmas last year. The neighbors next to us seemed friendly enough. The Mom works at a local store and always has a smile on her face when I see her. In a quick introduction over the fence, the Dad seemed nice and jokingly mentioned something about the neighbors not being shy about calling ringing 'Noise Control' [the district agency (for a lack of better word) that you call ring up when your neighbors are being noisy] on him and his kids. That should have been a red flag, but I guess I still want to see the positive and I didn't stop to figure out what that really meant.

We live on a corner and we really didn't (and still don't) see the neighbors behind us out and about much. One day, I saw the lady who lived there and asked her about a cat that was always looking in our windows. She was very pleasant and it turns out it was her cat, but I still think it lived at our house at some point.  Anyway....it also turns out that Hubby works with the son who has moved back in with Mommy and Daddy.

In my mind, it's very simple. If loud music were acceptable, then there would be no 'Noise Control' to call. Duh. So, when I took all the bass thumping above the sound of the TV I could handle I called. And called.Yes, and called some more.

The neighbors beside us eventually called the police to see whether or not we were harassing them by calling so often. We weren't. They finally got the message.

The neighbors behind us still play music loud on occasion. They didn't get the message. However, they really proved their ignorance last week after Phred died. Missy called from her Mum's house when Phred was missing for about 2 days to see if he was here. She said that the granddaughter of the neighbor behind us told her that someone had seen his body, but they didn't know who he belonged to.

When Missy came to our house at the end of the week, the first thing she said was, 'I have changed what I think about the neighbors behind us.' It seems that, when the granddaughter told them it was our cat, someone (I assume the dad, who is the one who plays the music) told her that if he had know it was our cat, he would have scooped it up, gift-wrapped it and brought it to the door as a gift for calling Noise Control.

All this makes me hope that my family is right when they say it's probably just Taranaki Kiwis who are rude. I do hope that when we move away from Stratford in a couple of years they are proven correct.

A new low

This post will probably not be of interest to you and for that I apologize up front. I am simply posting this sad commentary on NZ culture for posterity. And mostly, just to get my frustrations out about it.

I really am a nice person. I try to see the good in people and situations.

I also am anal and very literal. If you tell me something is blue, I expect it to be blue. Period. And, when our Scout Committee was told that everything we do or write has to be sent through the Pompous One (see this post for explanation), I took that literally.

As I told you a while back, Hubby is building a playhouse to be raffled off to raise money for the Scouts. It is sitting in our driveway with only decorations remaining to be added.We are very proud of his work and I know whoever gets it will be pleased.

The Committee has been working on having tickets printed. Pompous One informed us that Uber Pompous One (PO's superior in the Scout food chain, and UPO for short) does printing and will see what she can so for us to help us out. Now, what comes to mind when you hear the words 'raffle tickets'? Isn't it the little stapled booklet where you fill out the stub and you get to keep the torn-off part with your number on it? That's what I think of.

OK. The following are the emails we received.

First one from PO:

"Hi All

email from UPO.

Hi there PO, do you guys wanted in colour. I can do it if its black and white with no cost to you guys, but if you wanted in colour I can do it, but it will cost you guys a colour cartridge for a 1000 copy

let me know

Let me know asap so I can respond.  Thanks PO" 

We, of course, thought it was a waste of money to do color, so at least 2 of us, answering to PO, voted for b & w. She sends us a 'sample' of Hubby's mock-up as three 'tickets' on a sheet of printer paper (It's called 'A4' in NZ). I thought it was weird, but because we didn't plan to be part of the next Committee who would be responsible, Hubby and I didn't comment.

Four days later, we get this email from UPO:

"Hi guys i need urgently for you guys to let me know,where your tickets are in black and white or colour. PO only have one respond apparently. Black and white I can print them either tomorrow or wednesday likely tomorrow if I get the go ahead if its black and white.

 UPO"

Do you get where the anal part kicks in? We told PO what we thought, but UPO, apparently,wanted to hear from all of us. So, silly, enabler that I am, I responded with:

 "I was expecting booklet-size tickets that would be easier to carry."

I swear that is all that I said. I can show you the email if you want.

And, now for the immediate, freaking rude Kiwi of the year response.

"Better tickets comes in booklet,but im not a mind reader to know what you guys after.I was asked if I knew of any one who could print it or suggest to you guys.I knew I could print in black and white without any cost to you guys.I can see,I am going to have an exchange email with an individual committee member and Im not going to have that.You guys should have had this kind of discus before looking for printing firm.I have printed booklets of ticket before for other scout group,I was after colour wise,because the colour of the ticket given was green.I want to make sure that,Im doing the right thing asking for confirmations.

PO sorry you guys have to find someone else to print your raffle ticket.Im too busy for this kind of communication.I have a commercial printer if any of you guys want to come and print it your self.

Thanks

UPO"

This is from the 'authority figure' our kids are suppose to look up to, to learn compassion and other adult things. She is speaking to volunteers that give time to the group--apparently, unlike PO and UPO who have Scouting as a hobby because they like the 'power'.  Is it just me that thinks she's being freaking stupid to tick off the person who is technically in possession of said castle? Sheesh!

And now you know why there will be no secretary present at any committee meetings until they appoint another sucker volunteer.

I truly do want to think that Kiwis are really much more courteous and caring than I do now, but it's not easy with unprovoked stuff like this.

There is still the hope that it's just Taranaki folk who give the whole country a bad image. I will keep you posted.

It's not just me!

I know it sounds harsh using the word "rude" to describe the acts of others--especially a whole "country" [that's as big as Nebraska]--especially a country that has allowed me to move here, but no country is perfect [as I hear every day from some kiwi how bad America is, blah, blah, blah] I really don't know any other word to use. But, let me tell you what happened yesterday...

We were shopping in New Plymouth and there was a very sweet South African cashier who checked us out.  She immediately noted the accents hubby and I have and she and I got into a quick conversation about kiwis and their attitudes. We agreed that kiwis in general aren't as polite as the folks we were used to in our home countries. 

As we spoke, I noticed that there were many other customers (presumably kiwis) looking and listening, which is a bit rude in itself, but maybe they can realize that having a good time talking to strangers who are waiting on you is fun!

It's not an easy thing to teach two teenagers that some of the culture they have inherited is not acceptable behavior.  We don't bump heads over too many things, but they just don't seem to be able to understand that one must look around before you take off across an aisle at the grocery store or that allowing other people to walk past you is preferable to just scooting into someone's path.

So now I know it's not just me and American values that are different.

Rude kiwis...again!

Actually, it's not 'again', it's 'still'! And I don't actually think all Kiwis intend to appear rude. I tell myself that it's just cultural differences that are difficult to get used to. Let me explain...

I go grocery shopping every other week, usually late morning and it's not crowded. But it never ceases to amaze me how New Zealanders are NOT at all like Americans when they interact with strangers. [ See my 07 February 2008 post] I couldn't count the amount of employees that had carts on both sides of the aisle and were STANDING in the middle opening talking! The lady in front of me was trying (but not really succeeding) to be patient, but I just said, rather loudly, "Good grief!" to get their attention so they would get out of our way! The only employee that bothered to ask if she was in my way was working in the cleaning products aisle. I told her, "No, you're not in my way, but thanks for asking. You're the first one to bother today!" I wish I had gotten her name. Oh, well.

So, with the employees blocking the aisles and the customers stopping wherever they get distracted by a shiny object, it's a real nuisance to shop here. There are no 'Sorry I'm in your way' smiles or 'just being friendly' smiles, except for the occasional elderly shoppers. [My theory is that they're probably not real Kiwis anyway.] And there's still no polite prattle as your items are checked out.

Also, being a pedestrian is a challenge here. Even if you're crossing at a designated crosswalk, it's a good idea to make sure the cars stop before you start into the street. It's amazing how drivers give no mind to pedestrians. Personally, my philosophy is that they probably don't want my blood on their bumper and probably don't want the paperwork, so I do take a bold chance occasionally or, at least, it looks like it.

For the record, there are kiwis who are nice and have manners. Even though some were drunk as skunks, the hubby's coworkers were really nice and polite when we all went out for dinner a few weeks ago... ok, a couple didn't pay their restaurant bill and had to be chased about to get it done, but that wasn't really a matter of manners...but I digress....

**EDIT** This post was written in 2008. Now, in 2012, I still get comments on it. If you feel the need to prove my post correct and leave a rude comment to tell me I'm not wanted here (like some before you), don't bother because I won't publish it. It's my blog and my opinions.

Rude Kiwis

The doctor I usually see has left the local clinic and I was seen by a Swedish replacement who had only been in the country for about 3 weeks.

We didn't talk long, since I just needed a refill on my meds, but I did manage to warn him that I thought Kiwis were a bit impolite and won't get out of your way unless totally necessary. His comment was that Swedes are *as he made a 'hulk' pose of sorts* stout--I assume he meant a bit unmoved, too.

Maybe it's a European trait that has trickled down the generations.

It's certainly not the American way to do things. Americans will smile at strangers and step out of their way--this being a mutual movement. They will also pull in their feet when you pass by them in a theater or some similar seating arrangement. And if they do accidentally hit you, even a slight graze, 95% of Americans will say "Sorry" in some form, usually with an apologetic smile.

It's strange that I took all that for granted in my former life.