December 06, 2011

Security Guards

Living in other countries has taught me much about security guards. In the U.S., the security guard is only seen at banks (not all), government buildings and... that's about it. They carry a gun and they take their job seriously. In Mexico, the security guard was everywhere. Banks, gov't buildings, shops, hotels, supermarkets, etc. but they rarely actually did anything except act as an information center and text message their friends. In Turkey, the security guard was in far less places (more similar to the U.S.), but again, they rarely did anything except act as an information center and text their friends. Now, here I am in Vietnam. Different country, different continent, different culture. And yet, the "security guard" isn't really securing anything... except the countless motorbikes he's assigned to park, secure and then retrieve once the driver returns. Kind of like... a valet.