Well, I had another wonderful trip back home. It was a quick ten days full of family, shopping, boxes, friends, lunches, shopping, pictures, boxes, dinners, Lowes, shopping, new homes, boxes, and good ole American customer service. So if you can't tell I saw lots of family, lots of friends, ate lots of meals out, did lots of shopping, lots of unpacking and was thoroughly impressed with the customer service in every store and restaurant I entered. I mean seriously, I walked in a store and the workers were HAPPY I was there and they told me that about four times by checking in on me and asking if I needed help with anything. And to top it off...they THANKED me when I left! Now maybe I have just forgotten what it feels like to enter a store and not feel like an inconvenience to the employees (which is fully possible) but I really think customer service has improved in the time since I've moved. I think it's something you take for granted being over in the States and maybe wouldn't notice when it improves...but coming from a place where they could care less to have your business or your money it is quite a nice change of pace.
Two quick examples...I was in an Italian store across the street from base with a co-worker purchasing $6000 dollars worth of furniture for the Youth Center, six THOUSAND dollars in one pop! And it took FIVE ladies 30 minutes of blatantly arguing with each other (though I could only understand bits of it) and speaking dramatically with their hand gestures and being visibly annoyed with us and expressing their frustration to us JUST to split the order on two separate credit cards. And I'd estimate we spent about $15000 dollars there over the course of the year. Man, really makes me want to go back again. Unfortunately, we don't have a lot of selection and options over here...so inevitably we'll probably be back next time we need furniture as well.
And the second example has to do with our HUGE first annual Fall Fest event on base. For decorations and activities at the festival we were looking in the community for 200 hay bales and 500 pumpkins to purchase for this event happening tomorrow. Now, to give a little background, Italians do not celebrate Halloween as we know it in the States and it is a bit odd to them that we decorate with corn stalks, hay bales, and pumpkins. Corn and hay is for cow feed and pumpkins are in season for all the restaurants' menus: pumpkin soup, pumpkin pasta, pumpkin crepes, etc. but not for a good ole Jack-o-Lantern. So to go around asking for 200 RECTANGLE hay bales and 500 pumpkins brought a lot of puzzled looks. But may I also give an important detail that in Aviano we are surrounded by farm land on every side of the base and for miles and miles on three sides (the fourth side starts the mountains) I regularly get stuck behind tractors on my way to work as they are traveling between the fields. So as you can imagine...there are round hay bales everywhere. So we start asking around looking to buy 200 rectangle hay bales and 500 pumpkins...all in one pop. "No possible! DUE CENTO (200)!?!?!?! Ohhh nooo, nooo." Really people, you have someone willing to spend a lot of money on hay bales and pumpkins all at once approaching YOU...and you say it's not possible? You don't know ANYONE in this farming community that you could work a deal with to get these things? So finally I thought of the nursery where I go to buy my plants, because I really like the people there and they are so helpful. So I get the same shocked look, but instead of "No possible..." Paolo tells me he will make some calls and talk to his supplier in Holland and would get back to me the next day. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.
And to bring us up to today...in major Fall Fest preparation mode as the event is taking place tomorrow, Paolo delivered 200 rectangle hay bales and 500 pumpkins on base to the Youth Center gym. Now there's a smart business man, because this event will be happening every year, and they now have a repeat customer just from making a few calls.
And speaking of Fall Fest happening TOMORROW, have I mentioned that yet? We've been in major prep mode and we're hoping and praying we can pull this whole thing off. So far so good, with only a few minor hiccups. One of which regarding the 200 hay bales unloaded in our gym. Somehow Fire got word of this happening and stopped by to let us know that it presented a fire hazard and would have to be moved 100 feet to sit directly next to the building...outside. We tried to bribe them with candy to let us keep it there 'til tomorrow morning when it will be transformed into a maze outside, but they were having nothing of it! So we made the minor placement adjustment, and by WE, I mean all the teens in the program along with a few of the staff! But along with the 200 hay bales and 500 pumpkins being dropped off, we had 60 tables, 60 benches, 25 canopies, 3 Alaskan tents, 3 Port-o-Potties, 3 generators, 3 Light All portable lights, 2 Gator tractors, a climbing wall, and about 2,000 bags of candy. All while planning this whole event with approximately 18 staff. If everything goes as planned we will have 18 volunteer Trick or Treat Stations, 6 carnival games, 4 sponsor booths, 3 arts and crafts booths, 2 bouncing castles, Child Development Center sensory tables, a pumpkin patch, an outdoor movie, flashlight tag, a hay bale maze, an outdoor climbing wall, a fire truck, a Security Forces humvee, a costume parade, 55 volunteers, and 3000-5000 participants.
Yeah, tomorrow is a big day. I am now off to bed!
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