Finally, my first day at work arrived. I will be working at the Chamber of Commerce Building located in downtown La Paz.
Downtown is the center of commerce, government and finance of the city (or the department as people called it here), it is an incredibly busy and crowded place, especially during rush hours. The vibes of the environment push you to move fast and be alert of people and cars constantly moving around you. Although I work on the eight floor, it is very noticeable all the noise that comes from the street. It is a habit for some drivers to use the horn all the time, so the noise goes everywhere all day long. At times, it appears to be a symphony of noise; it is funny that so far I am the only one in the office who notices it, the rest are very used to it.So far, my co-workers have been very friendly and warm; from the first day, they have given me their personal phone numbers and cell phones numbers advising me to call them anytime if needed. They usually called “mamitas” (mommy) to women with whom they are very close; also I have heard how they refer to among men as “dear brother” as a friendly hello .
Here is very common to kiss in one cheek as a greeting, and as goodbye. Most people usually use diminutives to refer to things, such as when it is little cold (friito) or little warm (calorcito), and sometimes they refer to me as Fabiolita.
As part of the culture, there is a strong vertical management; the decision making is highly concentrated at the top levels of the organization. Employees should ask for approval to proceed with a decision, and the manner that they approach the boss is very different to the rest. The boss is referred as “Don X”; he is a much respected individual. The way that people talk to him, even people around the same age, should be in a high distance manner, people should refer to him as “Usted”, the respected version of “You” in Spanish.
The Office Boys, besides their regular activities, part of their job is to serve some bread and tea around 5:30 p.m. It is a habit for everybody to drink coca tea or mate as they called it. I was hesitant at the beginning to ask them to bring me a cup of tea. However, from the first days in the morning they ask me if I like to be served some. They did not mean that they would prepare for themselves and share it with me, but to completely prepare it for me and bring it to my desk. At the beginning, I was not feeling comfortable with them doing that, but the second time that I liked a cup of tea, I decided to go to the kitchen and prepare it for myself. I looked at one of them, and he immediately stood up and told me, No.. I will bring it for you to your desk. I felt that by bringing the tea myself, I am taking over his job, so I let him do that. Nevertheless, I still feel a bit shy to ask him for tea every time I want (considering I like to drink lots of tea).
People are dressed up very formal, from the Director to the Office Boys, all of them have to wear formal suit everyday. Women also dress up very formal, most of them wear lots of make up, perfume and high heel shoes. You can completely see the contrast with the street vendors, who are most of them from indigenous background, wearing their traditional clothes. I should try to dress up as formal as possible, even though I like to do it, I still not very used to it..
Another adjustment is the working hours. From Monday to Friday, I have to work from 9 am-12 and 2-7pm. Usually in Bolivia, most places work 8 hours a day with two hours break for lunch. People value going home to have lunch with their families, or to take some time to gather with friends or coworkers. There is a wide range of restaurants in downtown, from street food to very fancy restaurants. You can eat lunch (almuerzo in Spanish) as cheap as 12 Bolivianos (around 2 dollars) up to 50 Bolivianos. Almuerzo or lunch involves a type of soup, and something called second or segundo in Spanish, that is the main dish, and a small dessert.
For now, I am trying to make the best of these two hours, and discover the city a bit more. There is still a lot to discover…..
'- This video is just a sample of the view form the office.
If you like see the pictures more pics of La Paz, click below. Feel free to leave comments.
Downtown is the center of commerce, government and finance of the city (or the department as people called it here), it is an incredibly busy and crowded place, especially during rush hours. The vibes of the environment push you to move fast and be alert of people and cars constantly moving around you. Although I work on the eight floor, it is very noticeable all the noise that comes from the street. It is a habit for some drivers to use the horn all the time, so the noise goes everywhere all day long. At times, it appears to be a symphony of noise; it is funny that so far I am the only one in the office who notices it, the rest are very used to it.So far, my co-workers have been very friendly and warm; from the first day, they have given me their personal phone numbers and cell phones numbers advising me to call them anytime if needed. They usually called “mamitas” (mommy) to women with whom they are very close; also I have heard how they refer to among men as “dear brother” as a friendly hello .
Here is very common to kiss in one cheek as a greeting, and as goodbye. Most people usually use diminutives to refer to things, such as when it is little cold (friito) or little warm (calorcito), and sometimes they refer to me as Fabiolita. As part of the culture, there is a strong vertical management; the decision making is highly concentrated at the top levels of the organization. Employees should ask for approval to proceed with a decision, and the manner that they approach the boss is very different to the rest. The boss is referred as “Don X”; he is a much respected individual. The way that people talk to him, even people around the same age, should be in a high distance manner, people should refer to him as “Usted”, the respected version of “You” in Spanish.
The Office Boys, besides their regular activities, part of their job is to serve some bread and tea around 5:30 p.m. It is a habit for everybody to drink coca tea or mate as they called it. I was hesitant at the beginning to ask them to bring me a cup of tea. However, from the first days in the morning they ask me if I like to be served some. They did not mean that they would prepare for themselves and share it with me, but to completely prepare it for me and bring it to my desk. At the beginning, I was not feeling comfortable with them doing that, but the second time that I liked a cup of tea, I decided to go to the kitchen and prepare it for myself. I looked at one of them, and he immediately stood up and told me, No.. I will bring it for you to your desk. I felt that by bringing the tea myself, I am taking over his job, so I let him do that. Nevertheless, I still feel a bit shy to ask him for tea every time I want (considering I like to drink lots of tea).People are dressed up very formal, from the Director to the Office Boys, all of them have to wear formal suit everyday. Women also dress up very formal, most of them wear lots of make up, perfume and high heel shoes. You can completely see the contrast with the street vendors, who are most of them from indigenous background, wearing their traditional clothes. I should try to dress up as formal as possible, even though I like to do it, I still not very used to it..
Another adjustment is the working hours. From Monday to Friday, I have to work from 9 am-12 and 2-7pm. Usually in Bolivia, most places work 8 hours a day with two hours break for lunch. People value going home to have lunch with their families, or to take some time to gather with friends or coworkers. There is a wide range of restaurants in downtown, from street food to very fancy restaurants. You can eat lunch (almuerzo in Spanish) as cheap as 12 Bolivianos (around 2 dollars) up to 50 Bolivianos. Almuerzo or lunch involves a type of soup, and something called second or segundo in Spanish, that is the main dish, and a small dessert.
For now, I am trying to make the best of these two hours, and discover the city a bit more. There is still a lot to discover…..
'- This video is just a sample of the view form the office.
If you like see the pictures more pics of La Paz, click below. Feel free to leave comments.
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