Why I love working in Baltimore... - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

**juliagulia** · 06-28-2006, 08:36 PM

So, I live in the suburbs. It's basically the ultimate suburbian, planned town that sprawls all around and seems to have no end (a.k.a. Columbia). There's nothing insanely unique about this place, and you have your run of the mill Americans, with not that much variety in the different types of people you see.

Recently I started working at the Inner Harbor, a big tourist-y place in the heart of the nearest city, Baltimore. I never really realized WHY I wanted to work there so much until last week.

I get to meet SO many different people when I work there. Last week we had a huuuuuge Baptist Convention (50,000 people from around the country). They called me in for a Thursday double, and I worked more in the morning than I usually do on a Saturday night!

It was hard, but I got to talk to so many people, and just hear THEIR reactions to a city I'm simply in love with, while also learning about where they're from as well. I met a couple from Ohio who just talked and talked about their little town and their grandchildren, and how being in the city was so different for them, especially because they got lost getting to the pavilion. It was strange, but listenning to them was just so... fulfilling.

There was also a Blind-Deaf convention going on at the same time, and I didn't think much of it until a deaf woman came to me and I had to answer her questions. Just being thrown into something unusual for me was so exciting.

I also met a Slovakian couple asking for directions (they had nothing to do with the conventions). I wasn't able to help them, but they stayed for five minutes to talk about their homeland, and I even hooked them up with one of our waitresses who's also Slovakian, and apparantly they went partying a few days later.

It's even better with this Student Work program we have, where we got 30 students from Eastern Europe working here until September. I've already made friends with Igor from Croatia and Laszlo from Hungary (where they speak Hungarian... not German

).

Even though we can only talk on our breaks and brief moments where we're not busy, the conversations are so amusing with them trying to find the right words, and me trying to find synonyms that are easier to understand...

The next day, both conventions were ending, so we were really slow, and I realized that that's why I love working in a city--everyday there's different people, from different places, with different ideas and ways of life.

I may not be able to get out and travel on my own, but twice a week on Fridays and Saturdays, I get brief and sundry tastes of the different cultures out there.

And to fulfull my addiction, I get paid.

**tumblezweedz** · 06-28-2006, 11:01 PM

That's so awesome, Julia. Some people would take your situation and say, "I have to work long tiring hours and work with people I can barely understand...meet all these weirdos from the sticks..." But you've got the maturity to recognize a blessing instead of complaining about it. Kudos to you, I hope my kids grow up to be like you.

SleepIsTheCousinOfDeath · 06-29-2006, 10:52 AM

Meet any Blinddeaf slovakian baptists?

**juliagulia** · 01-15-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tumblezweedz

That's so awesome, Julia. Some people would take your situation and say, "I have to work long tiring hours and work with people I can barely understand...meet all these weirdos from the sticks..." But you've got the maturity to recognize a blessing instead of complaining about it. Kudos to you, I hope my kids grow up to be like you.

I saw this a while ago, but never responded!! Thanks

Who would have thought that a message typed months ago would have brightened a sucky week?

I don't get to work there as often, anymore (we closed for renovations), but I can't wait to get back there! I miss my talks with the Starbuck's clerks and running to Barnes and Nobles on my breaks... And it's been so warm lately too! Perfect for a walk around the Harbor...

Goshhh Phillips, open up already!

**Diorama** · 01-15-2007, 09:41 PM

^oh my gosh I so need to have your attitude!!

I work in a big hotel. And am around different cultures 11 hours a day. It really doesn't thrill me at all anymore. I actually get annoyed sometimes. How sad...But usually it's convention type dickhead business men or older cruise tourists. Anytime I see a backpacker person (which is rare!) I totally perk up and give 100% excellent service. haha

But seriously last week we had the World Debating Championships at our hotel. Basically it's the best uni debaters in the world. I hated them. i seriously wanted them all to get locked out of the hotel. They were so nerdy and needy and preppy. I saw some guys wearing pink burberry scarfs and khaki's ....gag. You go to school at oxford but you don't know how to dress!!!

so kudo's Julia for your five star attitude. :D

**TheJake** · 01-15-2007, 10:14 PM

Master Debators eh?

**Joker** · 01-15-2007, 10:33 PM

Maybe its the grizzled old line cook in me, but I'm beginning to hate Baltimore more and more. The parking kills me for pocket change, but the crackhead that broke into my truck last nite while I was at work has a bullet with his name on it. Stole $10 in cash and a roll of quarters from my center console, tossed the glove box, but took nothing else. Not the stereo, my tools, etc.

All said and done it cost me $150 to have a new window put in.

But at the end of the day, it may be a shithole town, but its my shithole town! :D

**Dig** · 01-16-2007, 07:02 AM

Ah.. sounds like Lubbock, where I live. Quite a bit smaller then Baltimore and a wee bit in the middle of nowhere.

**juliagulia** · 01-16-2007, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joker

Maybe its the grizzled old line cook in me, but I'm beginning to hate Baltimore more and more. The parking kills me for pocket change, but the crackhead that broke into my truck last nite while I was at work has a bullet with his name on it. Stole $10 in cash and a roll of quarters from my center console, tossed the glove box, but took nothing else. Not the stereo, my tools, etc.

All said and done it cost me $150 to have a new window put in.

But at the end of the day, it may be a shithole town, but its my shithole town! :D

Ouch!

I guess I'm so infatuated is cause I only go once or twice a week--I don't have to deal with living in a large city, anymore.

**Delaney** · 01-18-2007, 08:46 AM

I applied to go to graduate school in Baltimore... I will choose to have Julia's outlook. Joker-- doesn't sound to goo from your post!

**Joker** · 01-18-2007, 11:48 AM

Like I said, Delaney, its a shithole, but its my shithole.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 01-18-2007, 02:28 PM

That reminds me, I just finished watching the most recent season of the series 'The Wire'. What do you Baltimorians think of that show? I love it, very gritty. I have no idea if its realistic or not. I do like how it asks some hard questions and deals with lots of shades of gray.

**juliagulia** · 01-18-2007, 02:50 PM

I wish I could tell you. I don't watch that much TV

I hardly have time for TPunk as it is.

**Joker** · 01-19-2007, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LiveFreeorDie

That reminds me, I just finished watching the most recent season of the series 'The Wire'. What do you Baltimorians think of that show? I love it, very gritty. I have no idea if its realistic or not. I do like how it asks some hard questions and deals with lots of shades of gray.

Though I haven't watched it recently, it is in fact alarmingly realistic. Per capita, Baltimore has one of the highest murder rates in the country, and by the numbers, we had more murders than Philadelphia last year. Philly is 3x the population of Baltimore. Bmore is a small city with big city problems, thats been exacerbated by a useless mayor who's now a useless governor. He has had 8 police commissioners in his 6 years as mayor.

**BigE** · 01-26-2007, 08:16 AM

Baltimore could of been one of the most beautiful cities on the East Coast. I was born in Maryland and went to grad school there and I stayed away from Baltimore as much as possible. The politicians there had an opportunity to do great things and they never did. Very sad. But there are great things to find in Baltimore. They have one of the best ball parks I have ever been to.

**florencia9699** · 01-26-2007, 03:23 PM

US cities always look so weird on GoogleEarth for some reason....

**juliagulia** · 01-26-2007, 05:56 PM

How so?

New York comes up really funny cause the sides of the buildings are white...

**florencia9699** · 01-26-2007, 06:08 PM

I dunno... for some reason when I search at some US cities everything looks soo gray... Perhaps i'm used to zooming in cities like Lyon or Prague where everything is red.

I love the view of Sierra Vista, AZ (where I used to live). Every thing is sooo orange! I loved living there. Oh, and I love that feature where the mountains get a different dimention, like in Yosemite Park. That is sooooo cool.-

**BigE** · 01-30-2007, 05:52 AM

That is because some U.S. cities tend towards the grey. In Boston, I find everything to be grey. It is a very grey place. During the fall and the spring, Boston is very beautiful. The summers are too hot. The winters are just grey. That is why we have so many pubs. We stay inside to stay warm and drink our greyness away. I think the same can be said about many cities of the midwest and the northeast U.S. It is all very grey.

I wish they would stop using so much granite, which is a very grey rock. That may explain why everything looks grey.

**LiveFreeorDie** · 01-31-2007, 07:24 PM

^Yup, I would agree. I also think that all the salt dust that coats everything in the winter doesn't help either. You wind up with grey ground, grey buildings, grey sky, grey cars, all the trees are grey with no leaves.......blah!!

Oh well, it makes Spring that much more special.