Yep, it was one of “those” days.
I came into work, and I see a note at my desk telling me I need to report for duty outside. Eh?
So I go outside and I see my old CO, who tells me, “Linc, thanks for volunteering to help us out today.”
“Hmm, that’s funny, because I don’t remember volunteering for anything.”
“Oh, then your supervisor must have volunteered you.”
… … … …
“Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s just for today. Here, help me bring this stuff on the bus.”
I helped him carry a few folding tables and then saw the bus.
“Dude, that’s a prison bus.”
“So?”
“I’m not getting on a prison bus.”
“Why not?”
“It’s got bars on the window! Are you gonna like, chain me down too?”
“Stop whining, look if you do this you’ll get to go home an hour early.”
… … … …
“Let’s go.”
Our trip would take me down to the local Medicaid office, where I had to help out in screening applicants. Yes, seriously. Interesting job I have, after all not many people can say they rode a prison bus to a Medicaid office so they could run background checks on applicants named Pablo.
It wasn’t a bad day though, but had I known I’d be there for HOURS, I would have taken my laptop with me and jacked it in so I could check up on all them wonderful people who follow me on Facebook, Twitter and whatnot. Ah well, maybe next time.
As the applicants rolled in, I took them in one by one and went over their forms. A middle aged lady who looked like she just got off the bus from Guatemala handed me hers and I took a quick look. I noticed she hadn’t put in her height.
“Ma’am, you forgot to add your height here.”
“¿Que?”
“Umm, your height? You need to fill out what your height is right here.”
“¿Que?”
Sigh.
Fortunately I didn’t get too many like that, but this is definitely not a job I’d want to do on a regular basis.
So what did you do today? :-D
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Well had you taken your laptop you could have used Google translate to communicate more effectively :-) Just saying…
oh, and you could have also kept up to date with all your social networking fans, too ;-)
If I had used the Google translator I would have typed in Spanish, “Learn to speak @#$%^ing English if you’re gonna live here, biznatch.”
Probably a good thing I didn’t have my laptop today…
Probably, I don’t think that the people there would have appreciated just how accurate Google translate can be
Que?
Medicaid and illegal aliens. That sounds about right. You should have called Fox News. And we don’t have money for this or that but we will take care of the world.
Oh man… you’d think someone would have given you a hint or at least the basic words to ask in Spanish. Ha Ha people; Very funny ^^*!#@ ‘s!
From what I’ve been told, what is nice about people that speak Spanish is that they think it’s nice when people ‘try’ to speak the language and are more considerate when SOME effort is made (regardless).
I’m not a fan of google but Spanishdict.com got me through University level elementary conversational Spanish (which completely sucked because the class was apparently created to make English speakers feel stupid)
The teacher was funny though because he explained delicately what it is like to have someone speak SLOW AND LOUD like he, a decorated American military veteran, was actually defective in his learning abilities.
A little Spanish goes a long way …
(in my best Elvis impression) ‘mui-chi-si-mas-grasis’… muichisi-mas grasis [means Thank you very much]
WTF! We’ve given enough in aid for everyone on the planet to buy a copy of “English for Dummies”!
Vince, that’s the problem; Those people aren’t dummies.
Does anyone like to be called dumb? I believe it’s actually a more complex language.
Senorita you miss the point. If their culture is so great and they are so smart,honorable and wonderful then why are they forever looking to this country for a handout. We have our own poor and unfortunate who have a right to what this country has to offer they don’t. With all of the aid given why can’t they get it together. With all of the natural resources they have. It’s not my problem. The Lord helps those who help themselves.
Your probably right Vince- I miss the point; I don’t, however miss noticing the look in people’s eyes when they can’t express their frustration with being disrespected [not even my own].
I don’t think they look to our country for a handout; this country doesn’t offer much help… I think it boils down to the medical services (which many countries don’t have), and with that ‘they’ allow for all the frivolous tests and medical procedures, that mearly allow for the medical community to ring the rest of us up for the exorbitant bills and dumb ‘drugs’ that, many times, don’t help.
I met an American citizen once who happens to be of Mexican heritage, and very well spoken I might add, he was telling a story of being pulled over by police and being spoken to in a ‘your an idiot’ tone; with that, he waited for his moment to speak, and in clear English, made his attorney available to clarify any misunderstanding the officer was having comprehending that the brown skinned person before him was actually an employed American citizen with a lawyer available on the spot.
For the sake of putting it out there, it does seem that many countries are simply offered the funds by this country… like a hundred dollar bill to a bum; who would turn it down? America seems to hand out cash to countries around the world to either apologize for destroying their land or to simply give the appearance of (the) US having friends. :O
Like how ‘social services’ people help them selves to vast amounts of funds intended for people who are not able to make (at least) $3,000.00 a month(?); Like the people who do succumb to the need to be a part of some ‘workforce’ who find work, being paid less, and are the first to be laid off(?): Or would that be, the natural resources available to what, enter the revolving door of finding work, loosing it and applying for unemployment?
There should be a buffer for folks for both Americans and foreigners alike; were I live (in America) the people/businesses who are hiring don’t prefer to hire: 1. Americans, and 2. locals; it’s sad, but true. It’s almost like the pressure is on to leave and be dependent on ‘what this country has to offer’ which happens to be a very inefficient system that has people waiting 5 hours at a doctors office just to have their blood pressure taken, only to be sent back to the waiting room with all six of the same people waiting the same amount of time to see the one doctor [it is true].
I’m not going to claim to have the answers to any of this; I will thank the person in charge of this blog for giving us the opportunity to speak our minds. But much a-do about the ‘health care reform’ is not making much sense; the lack of ethics and morals in our country has been our bruised soul for a long long time. Employers would rather afford shiny new rims for their high-dollar cars than pay people a ‘living wage’ that allots for someone to, not only be able to pay their rent but purchase the extras without needing all forty-six cousins to move in.
PEACE!