Manners? No one seems to have them these days!
I stood like a prat holding open the door of a local eatery last weekend for at least six people. Not one of them so much as looked at me, let alone said “thank you.”
Call me old fashioned but if I’m in a shop or bar I like to be greeted with a smile (even a false one would do) and a ‘hello’ or ‘hola’. And, after handing over my hard earned money to the assistant, a “gracias” would be nice. Instead the change is slapped on the counter and they carry on chatting to their friend without so much as looking at you.
Then there are zebra crossings! Like a true Brit I actually stop to allow pedestrians to cross, do they smile or wave their appreciation – do they hell! Most of them glare at me then saunter across as if I’d got nothing better to do than wait all day for them to cross. On the other end of the scale, if, as a pedestrian, I want to cross on a zebra crossing, no-one will stop to let me go – I was once nearly mowed down by a Guardia Civil car when I was half way across the road!
Why they bother to paint zebra crossings in the first place is beyond me – a total waste of paint. And what paint do they use for God’s sake? It doesn’t last more than five minutes. Recently speed bumps were laid all the way through our village and yellow lines were painted to warn motorists to cut their speed. Within less than a month the paint had worn away and now unsuspecting motorists, who are driving at faster than a snail’s pace, almost go through the roof of their car.
Mind you the look of shock on their faces sometimes makes me chuckle – so it can’t all be bad!
El Grumpy Gringo
Owners Direct Group