Culture buzz

[constance]

Moving from one place or another, there're always huge differences to assimilate. The way people interact, the things they care about, the things they're willing to say, or not say. The way they drive (or, for example, CANNOT DRIVE TO SAVE THEIR LIVES). I find myself running aground on them sometimes, even now, four years into my latest location.

There are also the little things to deal with, though. Things that you don't really note at first because they're not important -- they don't frustrate or cause any difficulty, they're just different -- but one day, after doing a thing without thinking for ages, out of nowhere comes the thought, hey, we didn't do things this way Back Home.

Take tonight, when I realized for the first time in four years that ATM machine etiquette is different here from the way it was in New Orleans. Back Home, if you got to the ATM machine and someone else was already using it, you stood a discreet distance away, maybe six feet or so, and pointedly kept your eyes averted as they conducted their business. Here, though, you don't even get out of your car until the person ahead of you is completely finished and walking away. NO ONE does the discreet-distance thing. It makes me wonder if I did it for a time after moving here, before my subconscious poked me in the ribs and made me stay in the car. I might have. I might have freaked a few people out by it. O people of Macon, I am heartily sorry having offended thee.

I'm thinking that the main difference between Macon and New-Orleans-That-Was is that New Orleans was a much more pedestrian-oriented city, and as often as not there wasn't a place to park, much less sit in the car and wait, within a convenient distance of your ATM machine. But I could be wrong about this! I'm kind of curious to know what your city's ATM etiquette is. Staying in the car? Standing back a couple of yards? Picking your nose and staring over people's shoulders as they type in their PINs?

Comments

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

My city is small enough I don't believe I have ever seen another person at the ATM when I walked up to use it.

Ever.

(Also, the three machines I use are 1) in a supermarket, 2) on a street where there's no close-by parking, and 3) a drive-up, which I usually walk up to.)

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Really, never ever? I mean, here, more often than not there's not more than one person in line -- and my city's pretty darned small. :O

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

If you live in actual Macon, your population is about 6 times ours.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

I do live in actual Macon, but your city's teeniness does explain the lack of ATM traffic, yeah. :D

[bowdlerized.livejournal.com]

I'd say people usually wait about four feet away from the person using the ATM, often in an orderly line if there's a wait. Most ATMs here are not directly on the outside of a building as they were in the midwest, but inside a glass lobby-type place that you get access to by inserting an ATM card into a reader. This is true even when the ATM isn't a bank branch but is just an ATM station--they build a little glass storefront around it. I guess it's supposed to stop people from sneaking up and mugging you, though I don't know why the mugger wouldn't just wait around the corner and jump you when you got outside.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

Maybe muggers universally think standing around waiting for someone is just unprofitable? :?

[snapetoy.livejournal.com]

All over New South Wales, I've seen the same thing. We wait about 2 metres away from the person using the machine, and we look away from them to give them privacy in their transaction. If there's more than one person waiting, we'll queue. I've only ever seen this protocol broken once, where an impatient man snatched my card and tried to do it for me because he thought I wasn't being quick enough. Someone in the queue called the police and he was given a good talking to.

[isiscolo.livejournal.com]

!!!!

[tofty.livejournal.com]

an impatient man snatched my card and tried to do it for me because he thought I wasn't being quick enough

Good lord. I hope he was at least a little sorry! As many times as I've experienced impatience in an ATM line, I've never tried to ambush someone to hurry them on. Although once an old man who clearly hadn't quite gotten the hang of the whole money-from-machines concept asked me to give him a hand.

[laurelwood.livejournal.com]

We definitely do the "discreet distance" thing here. Like you say about N.O., there isn't enough parking to be able to idle in one's car.

More importantly, though, I'm here to proclaim you A WONDER AND A DELIGHT for the most amazing Christmas mail I've ever received. No one ever makes ME an advent calendar! The girls have forgotten their own candy-filled ones (amazing, for them) and clamor to look at mine, and it's the most fun thing EVER to guess the language. Some are easy, of course, but others are not! And the little pictures on the front are just like the graphics from Christmas cards I found in the basement that were sent to my grandparents back in the 30's and 40's. I have them all marching across a high shelf in the living room right now. And oh, the way they were all bundled into a stack and tied with a silver ribbon! So beautiful! I'm sad to say that there was WWIII over one particular friendship bracelet (the orange, black, and gold one) but we eventually got things worked out to everyone's satisfaction (Dennis and the girls were delighted to be included!). I even remembered to take mine off to shower, so as not to have Soggy Wrist Syndrome for the rest of the day.

Thank you a million times for making my whole Christmas. Your creativity and intuition for what's going to set me afire with glee never cease to amaze me.

[tofty.livejournal.com]

:D:D:D:D I'm glad you got them, and liked them! I had so much fun putting them together, and of everyone on my friendslist, you were the perfect one to try the Advent Card scheme out on. I was pretty sure you'd have fun with it, and I'm SERIOUSLY HAPPY you did! :D:D:D:D