I was too embarrassed to tell this story earlier but now that the end of my stay is near :-( I'm usually the first in in the morning, so I collect the keys to the office from the rather officious looking woman in very dark glasses at the front desk, who I always speak politely to in Latvian. (That doesn't mean I'm then rude to her in English) There are two keys on the very large, about 20cms long key fob. One for the office I work in and one for the the smaller office, where the coffee machine is. Not long after I arrive someone else usually turns up so both offices are generally open and whenever I've wanted a coffee I've just gone into the other office. On this day there was no one else in for quite a while. After doing some work I thought I would grab a coffee. There was no one in the other office so I used the second key on the very large key fob. I heard a slight buzzing and then all hell broke loose with the loudest alarms I've ever heard! After a short while a porter arrived and I was taken downstairs to be shouted at in Latvian. I was made to wait by the desk while a series of frantic calls were made. Maybe I was going to be taken to meet the Belarusian border guards after all! I was then taken back up to the office and given a long and angry speech in Latvian. Although I don't understand much Latvian I got the gist that I'm not allowed in the room with the coffee on my own. I must only go in the office I work in. I'm a very bad man and I'm not allowed in the office with the coffee on my own. And finally - I'm not allowed in the room with the coffee on my own!
When the others arrived later they all knew the story, Latvian grapevine, and thought it was very funny. They now joke whenever I go near the door to the office with the coffee that I'm not allowed in on my own.
1 comment:
In the light of this I think that you should not be allowed to drink your first cup of coffee on the Swansea campus alone. You have been warned.
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