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03/11/2003 Entry: ""So, what's that, a bat or something?" International Weirdness." At work, we ... okay, *I* have been doing a lot of work with our Puerto Rican office. They are testing phone lines out there, and we're having problems. What sorts of problems? Let me tell you, from a US-born international perspective, you really have to be relaxed when dealing with people from other countries. Stuff happens outside the US you just couldn't believe. Now, if you are dealing with the UK, Canada, or Australia, it's not too bad. You ask for something to get done, it gets done. Germany and the Netherlands are the same way, although for them it's "out by 4pm" and to get late night people to come out is like pulling teeth. That leads me to France. The French invented the "laissez-faire" attitude which comes from the imperative form of a phrase meaning to let (people) do (as they choose). It's a philosophy characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference especially with an individual's freedom of choice and action. That is, "Eh, let it go..." So getting work done in a socialist country with 35 hour work weeks is sketchy at best. This isn't to say the French are lazy, it's to say they have a different work ethic. They don't have this urgency that Americans have. Well, in general. Individuals are different, of course, but the sum of the whole tends to lean towards slow work progress and isolationism. I had critical tickets open for weeks where people had no phone service during that time. In the US, it would get fixed within 24 hours, barring weather or other weirdness. In France it's like, "Well... Marcel, see, he's in Austria, and won't get back until Thursday, and then I am off until the next Tuesday, and the guy with the truck is on another job until Wednesday anyway..." No, you can't get someone else. And frankly, they don't care how mad you are, they WILL hang up on you. To deal with the French, you have to make it worth their while. Bribes are common in France. A lot of other countries are lacking in response for other reasons. It could be their own form of laissez-faire, but often, it's just the sheer lack of qualified people. I mean, people joke in the US tech world about dumb techs, but in Italy or Spain, it's a dearth of knowledge and qualified teachers. I am not sure if that's their fault, but I noticed that the closer to the equator you get, the slower you can get work done through the local people. Again, it's not because they are dumb, but they lack the kind of infrastructure we here in the states have taken for granted. Bad roads, underwhelming governments, and just where they are... See, people are one thing. People can change, get better, and so on. But Mother Nature is another deal entirely. The Philippines is a good example of how Mama Earth can ruin a good day. I have lost feeds because of sharks and volcanoes there. Once, a shark bit through a vital cable. Volcanoes have earthquakes which break lines or skew microwave towers offline. Sometimes just a cloud of ash will ruin everything. Or the land literally moves up or down or to the side, taking dishes out of skew or ripping apart lines. You can't lay lines over a lava flow! Same with the Amazon. The southern part of South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc.) feels cut off from the rest of the world because of either the Amazon basin or the Andes Mountains. The first company to successfully lay fiber across that land will make millions. Plus, when you add in the cultural differences, doing International business, especially in the tech field, can be problematic. But you can also make good friends with some really cool people. In fact, making friends, sending bribes (like American goods, candy, that sort of thing), and such can REALLY get stuff done a lot faster. Heck, even *I* get bribes, and although I don't need them... I don't discourage German chocolate for ANY reason. But ... once in a while, a guy from Puerto Rico might come by, look at your stuffed plush Cthulhu doll, and go, "What is that... a bat?" Ever try to explain Lovecraft in less than a minute to a Puerto Rican? Aye, dios mio!