Great idea, I replied to glocals member “New Concept” to meet with fellow glocallers on Saturday at 7.00pm to practice my Spanish. This is an account of my evening…
I had no problem recognizing the member from his profile photo and as soon as I approached the meeting point I saw him on the other side of the road and approached him with a big smile, expecting to be greeted in the grandiose way previous glocallers have greeted me, and to be absolutely sure I asked him “are you with glocals”, to which he looked at me like I was harassing him, backed up, moved well away to stand on the corner of the road as far away from me as poss. At this point I thought I had made a mistake and that this was not the man. So feeling a little bad at having “bothered” a total stranger in the street, I stood and waited feeling like some kind of stalker, thinking that even if this wasn’t the man, how rude of him to behave in this way.
Two minutes later a young girl arrives, and I see her smiling across the road just like I had done. There was no doubt that this was the group. I then went up to them and asked if this indeed was the glocals group - yes it was, I then asked Mr. New Concept why his reaction to me a few minutes earlier to which he replied that my profile doesn’t have a photo and how was he to know! Neither was he at all forthcoming in offering an apology for his behaviour. He pretended not to understand English and failed to see why I felt so insulted. A moment later another young girl arrived and at this point I explained to her what had happened to me, wished them all well for the evening and left.
Not all members have their photos up on glocals but this has never been a problem, members have always been so professional in their organization of activities and dealings with other members.
Mr. New Concept obviously has his own agenda in mind for posting these activities and I have the feeling that if I were a little younger and perhaps blonde, it might not have turned out the way it did! If this is the concept he wishes to adopt, then clearly he has no idea!
