Saturday, September 20, 2014
Bhutan finds a niche
A few years ago I noted a sad but strange car accident involving some local immigrants from Bhutan. Several boys had been drinking and skidded their car into the river, then drowned because they didn't know how to get out. It seemed to exemplify an immigrant group that wasn't adapting well.
Since then, those Bhutanese have adapted nicely, have found their niche.
They're the housekeeping staff at upscale hotels, and they're obviously enjoying it.
Recent news item:
The accompanying pictures tell the story better than the words. A group of odd-looking** young folks with odd names, enthusiastically running the wet-floor slalom and other events, and literally jumping for joy when they won.
The joy of competence, the joy of usefulness. The secret of a good life.
(**Footnote: By odd-looking I don't mean ugly or anything like that; I only mean that they are instantly recognizable as unique. They don't fit any familiar ethnic type, though they vaguely resemble Cherokees.)
¶ 7:56 AM
A few years ago I noted a sad but strange car accident involving some local immigrants from Bhutan. Several boys had been drinking and skidded their car into the river, then drowned because they didn't know how to get out. It seemed to exemplify an immigrant group that wasn't adapting well.
Since then, those Bhutanese have adapted nicely, have found their niche.
They're the housekeeping staff at upscale hotels, and they're obviously enjoying it.
Recent news item:
Red Lion Hotels corporate director of rooms operations Dominic Longo started the Housekeeping Olympics last year to mark International Housekeeping Week. This year’s event was held in the Red Lion Hotel at the Park.
“We just wanted to show appreciation,” Longo said. “It’s a lot of fun. They love it.”
The timed events included running a mop through a slalom course of yellow “wet floor” signs, vacuuming confetti dumped on the carpet and making a bed. In the floor buffer pad toss, one blindfolded teammate would toss the round red buffer pad to a partner who would attempt to catch the pad on the handle of a toilet bowl plunger.
The accompanying pictures tell the story better than the words. A group of odd-looking** young folks with odd names, enthusiastically running the wet-floor slalom and other events, and literally jumping for joy when they won.
The joy of competence, the joy of usefulness. The secret of a good life.
(**Footnote: By odd-looking I don't mean ugly or anything like that; I only mean that they are instantly recognizable as unique. They don't fit any familiar ethnic type, though they vaguely resemble Cherokees.)
¶ 7:56 AM
