I had the pleasure and good fortune to travel to the Dominican Republic with my husband for a short vacation a couple of weeks ago. In all honesty I had no idea about the culture, or the environment, or what kind of economy the Dominican had. We just wanted a holiday because we work very hard and its difficult fitting one in.
What struck me from the very first day was the humble, friendly and excellent service we enjoyed on a daily basis from the people who served us our food, drinks and continued to ask us if everything was OK.
I have no real facts or figures, but I am guessing they are not paid a large wage, or live the kind of lifestyle many people in other countries do.
Our guys, as we liked to call them,, always had a smile on their faces, they always had something to say, made us laugh and quite literally were a big part of why our vacation was a success.
We noticed the long hours they worked, always with a smile. Now and then a tiredness came over them, but they carried on and, unless you were observing as I was, no one would have noticed they were tired.
We were both struck with the difference between there and other places in the World, such as the UK, USA and of course my beloved Canada. I won't put everyone in the same category, but I come into contact with people who do, I admit, receive a low page. They grumble, can't smile or offer even a tiny bit of good customer service. When prompted to ask why they are so unhappy in their work they share with me, because I ask, they are under privileged and have to work in their low paid jobs because of the state of the Government or literally, they have no choice.
BUT, these same people have iPhone's, two cars, lovely homes, holidays at least once a year, food on their table and much more than the guys we met on our Dominican holiday. So why are they not happy? Why can't they find a job that suits them better, or pays them better? I did...it was not easy but I did it.
People do notice when we love or hate our job.
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