ThornburgReadingResponse

__Mind At Work- Chapter 1__ I found this reading to be very interesting. I could relate to it because I was a waitress and so much of what the author says is true. I never realized how much skill and special abilities such as memory and balance played such a role in being a successful waitress. The part of the reading I found to be most interesting is when the author mentions how waitresses typically can figure out who ordered what based on their gender, the man is more likely to order a steak and the woman is more likely to order a salad so it makes it easier to figure it out without asking when you get to the table. This is interesting to me because most people would just take the food out to the table without actually thinking about it and realizing what gender is more likely to order what. I agree that it is hard to remember orders and run back and forth to get certain things such as condiments you forgot to give the customer because remembering things all at once can be very difficult for everyone. I also agree with the fact that waitresses work better when the restaurant is busy. When I first started, the restaurant was dead on some of the weekdays and I would only have to attend to 2 or 3 tables but since I wasn't constantly moving and doing things, I would forget a lot more than when it was busy because you are alert and constantly on the go. This is important because if you aren't remembering what the customer wants, you will be treated badly by them and not receive a decent tip. Overall, I found this reading to be very interesting, understandable,and easy to relate to, there is not one thing I disagreed with. I like the fact that he decided to interview waitresses and study their behavior as well as their abilities because most people do not realize how much work goes into being one. I believe that waitressing helps one become educated because they gain a lot of useful skills and learn how to interact/deal with people. Gaining skills such as memory, time management, and decent people interaction is part of being educated because they are things you must learn to do in everyday life in order to be successful.

__Freshman Year__ I like the fact that the author decided to dig deeper into the minds and feelings of international students towards American students because I never would have thought there was much of a difference. The part of the reading I found to be the most interesting is when the author talks about how when she asked the Japanese students to come for dinner and one of the girls pointed out that she never asked for any of their numbers. Does that actually happen to international students often that they actually realize when it is happening? This is interesting to me because I would never really think twice that someone didn't have my number when they asked me to do something, I would just assume that they would somehow get ahold of me and push it to the side. Before reading this passage, I never realized how different American language and interaction is from other cultures. I find Americans to be friendly and social but in comparison to other countries, we come off as stand-offish and rude in a way. I do not understand how Americans are so different from other cultures because when I see students of other cultures here at Bloomsburg, I do not find them to be much different than me. However, I guess it depends where they grew up but I do not see how two different cultures can have such different interactions because I only really understand how Americans work.