Scribbling #20: The One About the Fat Man Throwing Out Little Plastic Cones

An abstract and hopefully mysterious title, I feel.

So, I was on my way to work, using the bus network between Sala and Nitra.  This wasn't by choice, as I'd much rather go to work by car, but since it had decided to become paralysed (master cylinder broke so none of the wheels turned) I suddenly had a new pastime to indulge in: waiting at bus stops.  It was on one of these glorious occasions that one of my work colleagues turned up next to me, and soon a discussion about the great divides between countries ensued, such as Slovakia with its West and East, Great Britain with its North and South, Canada with its West, East, North and South.

Slovakia, as an economy, is doing okay, but its West/East gap is gradually widening.  Bratislava, the capital, is becoming more westernised, where capitalism is becoming more and more prevalent there.  This is good news for businesses wanting to invest into somewhere where the labour is relatively cheap, but the workforce is also quite well educated.  Case in point, there is someone who works at our place that speaks Slovak, Czech (there is enough difference between the two - about 20,000 words), English and German.  His job is not international sales, its throwing plastic mouldings into a big chipping machine.  On the other hand, Slovakia's reluctance to be part of a €400 billion emergency EU 'bank rescue package' is not really that surprising, since it is one of the few countries to do 'okay' during the recession.  Not great, but okay.  We (myself and Mrs. C) are finding out on a first-hand basis how the recession has effected the housing market, as we trawl through the internet to find some decent places before our rental contract runs out.

This conversation was interrupted by a small vehicle that painted road lines in the middle of the road.  I had never seen such a contraption before in Slovakia, so I stood there vaguely enchanted, watching it and its driver carry out their rather mundane job.  Man and machine, together doing practical work that helps others decide which side of the road that they should be on and so therefore help save lives and stop accidents.  Very noble.  Almost as noble as the fat man sitting on the back of the vehicle, throwing out small plastic cones every now and again, so that no passing car would ruin the line.  How that was a job in the paper, I won't ever know, but at least it gets you out in the fresh air, I guess.