A rare rant about work. Most of you know I am fast becoming a disciple of my workplace. I have yet to find much to find fault with, but I had a rare jaw-dropping moment this morning.
To give you a bit of pedantic background. There is a road between the two plots of land upon which my school stands. This road is closed to traffic between 7am and 9am each morning. I am not sure if this is the city's idea, or the school's. The part time staff are required to use the car park between the high school and the junior high school buildings. The only entrance to this car park is off the road that it closed. The road is closed by 2 bollards, which are removed by the school's security guard just before 9am.
If you arrive at school before 9am, you have to park in the main car park, and then move before lunchtime. The main car park gate is closed at 8:50am. I try to time it so that I arrive at 9 o'clock, thus avoiding the 10 minute meaningless lockdown. Needless to say in the morning rush hour this is not a precise science. Sometimes I arrive a few minutes after 9, some days, like today, a couple of minutes early. Today, as I was closing the school gates behind me at 8:58am, one of the older members of staff from the high school emerged and started bellowing in his best English to my turned back:
"IT IS BEFORE 9 O'CLOCK NOW!"
At first I didn't register that anyone was addressing me at all, what with the lack of even a "Good morning" or a "Sensei" which is customary between members of staff working at the same establishment. So I eventually turned round on the 2nd:
"It is before 9 o'clock now!"
"Pardon?"
"It is before 9 o'clock now! Parking is prohibited!!"
" Yes, I arrived - (dramatic look at my watch)- 2 minutes- (pause) early......(in ultra polite Japanese, with a Sensei thrown in for good measure)"
" In that case you have to wait somewhere outside"
" It's 8:58, Would you like me to go out again"
" No, I suppose it's ok if you stay"
"Thank you."
I could list the ways that this spoiled my morning, but I don't think I have to, do I?
To give you a bit of pedantic background. There is a road between the two plots of land upon which my school stands. This road is closed to traffic between 7am and 9am each morning. I am not sure if this is the city's idea, or the school's. The part time staff are required to use the car park between the high school and the junior high school buildings. The only entrance to this car park is off the road that it closed. The road is closed by 2 bollards, which are removed by the school's security guard just before 9am.
If you arrive at school before 9am, you have to park in the main car park, and then move before lunchtime. The main car park gate is closed at 8:50am. I try to time it so that I arrive at 9 o'clock, thus avoiding the 10 minute meaningless lockdown. Needless to say in the morning rush hour this is not a precise science. Sometimes I arrive a few minutes after 9, some days, like today, a couple of minutes early. Today, as I was closing the school gates behind me at 8:58am, one of the older members of staff from the high school emerged and started bellowing in his best English to my turned back:
"IT IS BEFORE 9 O'CLOCK NOW!"
At first I didn't register that anyone was addressing me at all, what with the lack of even a "Good morning" or a "Sensei" which is customary between members of staff working at the same establishment. So I eventually turned round on the 2nd:
"It is before 9 o'clock now!"
"Pardon?"
"It is before 9 o'clock now! Parking is prohibited!!"
" Yes, I arrived - (dramatic look at my watch)- 2 minutes- (pause) early......(in ultra polite Japanese, with a Sensei thrown in for good measure)"
" In that case you have to wait somewhere outside"
" It's 8:58, Would you like me to go out again"
" No, I suppose it's ok if you stay"
"Thank you."
I could list the ways that this spoiled my morning, but I don't think I have to, do I?
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