Of queues and waits!

Things like this freak me out. and what freaks me out more is when I am not able to give it back to the person concerned! Seriously, sometimes I feel that the poor image that we Indians carry is very right and it's us and nobody else to be blamed for it. We want people to respect us and not to treat us like a piece of crap but do not work towards it! And to top it all most us ruin the hard work others put in to improve our image!!

Okay where is all this going?? What am I rambling about?

It is this particular incident earlier in the evening that is still troubling me. I usually check our mailbox in the evenings when I go downstairs to take my daughter for her walk. It works for me as our mail guy comes at about two o'clock in the afternoon and ours being a very huge apartment complex, it takes like almost an hour for him to put in all the mails. So, I club the evening strolls with the mail-picking. Besides, the time I go works if we have any package waiting at the customer desk, I can pick it up without having to wait until the next day. Now, this evening was very lovely and a perfect one to take my little baby out without having to worry about wrapping her up or of her catching any cold. Past two weeks, and last week particularly, were very cold and we had missed our evening strolls. I did not want to miss this chance of going out and enjoy the weather and let a little bit of fresh air in our lungs. So, put my baby in the stroller and set out for our walk. As a routine, I checked our mailbox and found a note that there was a package for us. There was something I had ordered for my baby and was expecting it to have arrived today. As the desk was open and I did not want to wait one more day, I took the note and went to collect the package. The associate was not at the desk (I had just seen her going to the storage with another resident), so I played with my baby while I waited for her to come back. A couple of minutes passed by and there came these two young men with their office bags and all, went past me and stood at the desk, some distance away from me (The customer service desk in our apartments is a wide one). I was about to ask them if they were waiting for B(our associate, a very nice lady) when my daughter dropped my cell phone with which she was playing. I was distracted and that was when B came in and attended them. As i waited for her to finish, I thought I would tell them that I was in the queue first and they should have waited for their turn. What gave them the impression that I was not?? Why else would I be standing at the customer service desk?? They should at least have the courtesy of asking me whether I was waiting for B! They didn't even look at me and went past behind me and stood at the desk just two steps away from me!! Now what sort of a queue is that?

Such instances make me compare ourselves with the well-mannered people out here. I have been in such waits earlier and believe me, the non-Indians have always stood behind me or at least have the courtesy to ask me if I was in the queue. Such actions compel you to follow as they are always good learnings and it doesn't hurt to give people their due, especially when theirs nothing that you are losing here. As a matter of fact, I feel you are gaining respect and dignity for yourself and being a good person over all. What kind of a professional you are when you do not even have the patience or the courtesy to ask?

And I am angry with myself on letting these people go.. and this is something i do very often. just let people go.. i have to work on this thing. .not only for me but for my chinipie's sake. I do not want her to be taken advantage of.. she should be able to voice herself.. loud and clear! And who else would teach this to her if not me?