A Test of Patience

This weekend we welcomed over 300,000 people at the Expo-site that stretches from one side of the river to the other. We were busy. Very busy.

When I said "yes please" to this job, I did not realize that I was saying "yes please" to an advanced degree in patience-building. I have never considered myself very a very patient person in my private life (friends, family do you perhaps agree?), but having served diligently in the service industry for many years now, I have always considered myself balanced and patient when dealing with difficult or challenging situations. I just haven't realized that the situations that have been handed to be by a butler on a silver platter whilst sitting in a massage chair in my previous jobs have just been breezy summer days in comparison to the untimely black clouded hail storms that are hurled at us poor guides on a daily basis here in China. Yesterday the pavilion was stormed after the visitors decided to tear down our queuing system (we punished them like naughty children by not letting anyone in until they had calmed down and learned their lesson... it felt good...), several people had to be man handled out of the pavilion after refusing to leave because they wanted more stamps (am currently cursing whoever had the not-so-thought-through-idea of the problematic passport), and we spent almost the whole day telling people that "you have to stand in line", "no you are not allowed to sneak in", and "no you may not go into the area that says no entrance"... I say no more.

On a happier note. Hmmm... I really enjoyed the music in the pavilion today. Secret Garden. Again. For the umpteenth time. Very nice.

So I guess what I want to say with this very negatively-charged post is that it is not always easy to work at the Expo, but I am so impressed with my colleagues that come to work every day, even after they have faced many difficult situations, with a big smile and a wonderful attitude. They lift me up, and I am sure they lift the pavilion up to new heights. If you ever see a Norwegian Pavilion guide - give them a pat on the back. They really deserve it!
Signing off now to get some well-deserved sleep,
Trine/Truls/T-bag