Friday, March 4, 2011

The Maryland Curse

I have been in Utah for over a year now, but I still live with The Maryland Curse.

After living in the Washington, D.C. area for 12 years, I learned that none of the employees in the store were there to actually help. If you needed help finding an item and actually found an employee, don't ask because they are not going to want to help and they are not going to speak English.

This lesson was so ingrained that even now in the land of happy, helping, English-speaking people, I do not ask for help. In fact, I would rather drive across the valley to check out a store rather than pick up the phone and ask an employee of the store if they had what I was looking for. I've done it. Often and frequently.

It's a curse, but I hope to be cured one day. It might just take time.

2 comments:

Tina said...

This is OHHHH so true! When I was last in Utah I almost thought the people were almost too sweet and kind and helpful and friendly. And surprise of all surprises if you use your blinker to change lanes, people actually would let me in! What a shocker!

Jennifer Griffith said...

This is so funny because last weekend I had visitors from Maryland here at my house in deep rural AZ for a family thing. They kept *marveling* at how nice everyone here is. It was blowing their minds that people say hello, that they're helpful and friendly and open. Great timing with this post, Alicia. Double laughs.