There's No Such Thing as Being Too Nice

One of the things that everyone (well, Europeans anyway) always comments on after returning from a trip to the USA is that people there take small-talk and exchanging pleasantries really seriously and complements are the grease that keeps communication afloat. It's not that this is a completely alien concept on these shores, but we are downright grumpy and monosyllabic in comparison. To be honest, I much prefer the more distanced European approach when it comes to interacting with total strangers and people in the service-industry in particular, but I definitely don't object to being given the VIP-treatment by people I know and like!

I work for an American company and it has taken me some time to get used to being thanked for profusely for what is basically just my job. Well, we've had an Ambassador of American Nicety on site for the past two months (today is her last day already, unfortunately) in the form of an exceptionally nice colleague and fellow blogger from our NY office, whom I would like to call "the Duracell Bunny" because her middle name should really be Energy. Within weeks, she managed to see more of Austria than I have in 39 years, not to forget several other European countries as well. Last week, she wrote me such a nice e-mail thanking me for...what was perhaps not my job as such, but definitely did not take an effort at all, i.e. basically being myself. Yesterday, she surprised me with a big box of the Altmann&Kühne chocolates I had pointed out to her as good souvenirs for valued people you don't mind out forking out a lot of money for little net weight of (very good) chocolate. With it, a lovely and thoughtful card. As you can see, the chocolate won't go off:

Most appreciated!

PS: Duracell Bunny is the only person I've met so far who shares my habit of checking the weather forecast before going to bed and preparing the clothes for the following day according to it!