Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Madam, do it youreslf, please!!

How different is the quality of customer services between the UAS and your country? Many people have experienced the help lines where the employees deal with inquiries about a number of different products and services in the USA. How do you feel? Are you satisfied or dissatisfied? I think that one of the most disappionting things in the USA is the call center service. The first time I came to Austin, I had to have a hard time to move to my new apartment.

One of typical things is the internet sevice in the USA. In order to connect the internet line at my house, I had to call a cable call center and wait for a long time listening to a recorded message or put through to many people who asked me same questions: "What's your name?", "What's your address?", " What's your zip cord?", and "Hold on please". What made the matter was, I had to wait for two weeks again after my registration. How terrible news it was!

In Korea, the help lines are well-developed and the workers on call center are very kind; they alwalys answer the phone call "Dear customer, I love you, may I help you?", and give their names like "The countselor whom you talked to now is Ms. 000, The engineer who will visit you is Mr.000, the time for the engineer to come would be this afternoon." In Korea, most people can get service very quickly. If I apply for the Cable, the internet, or the phone, I can get any service at least 24 hours. How cool!! The most important thing is that all engineers finish their services from installing machines to testing how the service is working well in each place. How wonderful in Korea!!




However, the service system is totally diffrent in the USA. After two weeks later, I finally got a internet service. But the engeener who visited my house worked outside for a while, then he came back home and said "Madam, I finished. You can use both service of a cable TV and the internet now." That's all he had done. I was very confused because I was not able to assemble a new TV and a new computer which were still in their box. After he went out, my daughter and I tried to set up those machines by the instructions but all service were not working. I called the call center again and complained that the engineer didn't finish his job. After for a while, the engineer who seemed to be very upset called me and he said " Madam, what's wrong with you?" I explained my situation then he said "Madam, all things left are not my business, it's yours. You can do it yourself" What a suprising thing it was! I said to the man I didn't know how to make the service working, then he said "Can you see a yellow cable line? you just put it a yellow line on the TV, a white line and a red line are same. Madam, do it yourself, please." After then, all services were working. Most people in the USA seems to be good at instruction as an engineer and to enjoy it. It is very interesting for me.




Saturday, 17 April 2010

Let' have a "party"

Have you ever joined a party in an American style in the USA? I think that one of the most different cultures between the USA and Korea is understading a party. After I came to the USA, I had diverse experienc in American culture of parties.


When I had a my son's birthday party last December, I was very surprised that many parents complained about my different manner to invite friends and their parent to my son's birthday party. As same way as I used to do in Korea, I sent an invitation card which had contents of the place and the time of the party. However, I realized that it was a big mistake to except my email address or my phone call information in the card because it was a necessary process in the USA for the guests to give an answer to the hosts about how many people would go. What a suprising thing it was! In Korea, people who have a party don't care how many people would come, and it is preparing the abundant table for guests that hosts have to do all things for a party. Fortunately, at my son's birthday party, my son's classmates and their parents happily got together and enjoyed foods, drinks, and games which were prepared at the D&B restaurant for kids in Austin.


Most Korean people, including me, enjoy a party sitting their prepared seats, taking their served meals, and talking to each other without hanging around the place. When some people invite to their house in Korea, most guests are expecting some special foods of the party because having a party means having plentiful foods together in Korea. I still feel more comfortable when I can enjoy a party in the Korean way. Just after I came to Austin, I had a chance to join a party which was held for the residents in my apartment office. My children and I didn't have a dinner looking for a big party meal like Korea and we went to the party at 6 pm. However, my children and I was very shocked and disappionted because there were some snacks and drinks. There were no special foods and no chairs! How weird the American party was! Most people in the party were standing and hanging around the place with loud music, they didn't care who and when they were comming. We felt uncomfortable and came back my house. After then I don't expect any special and aboundant food of a party in the USA.



Thursday, 15 April 2010

My Favorite Flowers

When I was in Korea, I enjoyed going out with my family and seeing beautiful flowers in the spring. My favorite flower is a cherry blossom which is indigenous to many Asian states including Japan, Korea, China. Jinheae is the most famous place for the beautiful cherry blossoms in south Korea. Whenever the spring was comming, I was looking for taking a trip with my family and enjoying the cherry blossom festival in Jinheae. In the spring, bright pink cherry blossoms coverd with the whole of Jinheae city. It was so wonderful that many people visited the cherry blossom festival in Jinheae every year. There are also cherry blossms in Seoul city. While the cherry blossom trees in Jinheae are tall and big, the cherry blossom trees in Seoul are short and small. Both of cherry blossoms were so beautiful that I felt like being in the heaven. I missed beautiful cherry blossoms, my favorite flower, in Koera.




After I came to Austin last August, the spring came again in Austin. I went to a park near my house with my childern. I saw many kinds of new flowers which were very strange for me but which were also so beautiful. One of the most beautiful flowers in Austin was blue bonnet, which is the state flower of Texas. It was wonderful that many blue bonnets filled with the field in the park. The withe color on the top of blue bonnet is brihgt and beautiful, the smell of bule bonnet is good. I became loving blue bonnet and feeling fresh and happy. My children and I took a picture near blue bonnet and havd a great time in the park. Blue boon




Welcome to Ann's blog

Hi, everyone. Welcome to Ann's blog. I have known that we have a lot of things to talk to each other out of class. Let's enjoy talking on Ann's blog. How lovely my children are! Have a good day~!!