Day 16: Similarities and Differences

The world is round. We agree on that.

Governmental and civil agencies are the same in every country. Since they are paid by the taxpayers, they do not have to answer to any one person, not even to the very people who pay their salaries; simply because they are 'the authorities'. It’s a totally different story when it comes to private companies or places that depend on customers. For example, after I complained about not having hot water in my shower, the Akademihotellet, which runs the apartments that I’m staying in, sent a plumber and when I reached back that night, I found hot water. Today, when I came back, I found that the plumber had come again to change the taps and the temperature control of the shower even though the heater was working fine yesterday. That’s what I call service. See. That’s because I’m a paying customer, even though I’m not the one who’s paying the rent and everything. But still, someone is paying them to provide such services, and because of that they are efficient in providing it. When I needed a map, even though they could have easily said that they don’t provide maps, they quickly found one and gave it to me and I didn’t even say I was staying with them!

After all that trouble with the passport matter, I think I’ll consider the matter closed, and will take things as they come. Sudah lah. I won’t let this matter and the horrible service I’d experienced spoil my stay here. I’ll wait for the reply from the consulate in Norway. IF they reply. 船到桥头自然直.

Going to church always clears my head. It's the same here and back home. I feel calmer and much better now.

Anyway, there are major differences in the food here and back home in Singapore. Coke in Sweden tastes totally different from coke in Singapore. I guess that was to be expected since the same product tastes different in India as well. Minor but discernable differences. Even Skippy peanut butter is different. Now, this is a big difference. I like my peanut butter chunky, and the peanut bits in the chunky spread here are so small! Macam like smooth like that. And of course, the water (one of the most important factor) tastes different here as well. I like my water soft and smooth. The water here, after boiling and straight from the tap, tastes odd. I’m sorry but I’m just not used to the water. It’s hard, and has a slight slimy after-feel to it. Don’t like… (Say with a whiny voice) It’s like what our water tastes like after days of deluge, and I never did like the water during those times.

Recycling here occurs at source. So that means every household has the responsibility to separate its garbage into the right categories and dispose of them accordingly. The garbage trucks will go around collecting the appropriate trash. If only we could have that at home. But we have to first stop all and sundry from throwing inappropriate items such as cans into bins meant for paper. Inconsiderate. Moreover, our recycling bins are so few and far between that it’s little wonder why many families don’t bother about separating the trash at all.

The world is round. We agree on that.