Waiting in...er... line?

This morning I made my annual trip to the "9th Floor" to submit my visa documents, get finger-printed and get a photo taken. It was early but there was already quite a crowd waiting in front of the 2 working elevators that would only take 5 people at a time. Each time the elevator doors opened the people would surge forward to try to be one of the lucky few.

Once on the 9th and while waiting our turn outside the picture-taking-finger-printing office I took in the cultural phenomenon around me with regards to line etiquette... or, rather, the seemingly lack of it...

There was a crowd of people waiting and with no discernible sense of a line, everyone just seemed to know what there place was in the waiting order. New arrivals simply asked, "who's the last person?" received their answer and then went lean against a wall or sit on a bench to wait for their turn. Occasionally exceptions were made for families with young children, who were then allowed to cut to the front. Other's, however, simply muscled their way through in an effort to be the next one in the door regardless of the fact they were actually the last to arrive.

So it was with one particular man. Every time the office door opened the waiting crowd surged forward as if to insure the right person pops out the front and goes in next, and every time this one man tried to cut... sparking an intense verbal exchange. He was so insistent at points that others called the security guy over which sparked yet another heated discussion complete with animated hand gestures.

While all this was going on I couldn't help but long for the "Take A Number" machines that you find in California's DMV offices and other places.

Finally it came to our turn. The door opened the crowd surged forward and before my friend and I could get in that man had muscled his way in front of us and shut the door in our face! The security guard who'd put the man in his place earlier saw this but I think like the rest of us, though irritated by his cultural rudeness, were tired of this man's belligerence and let him go. In the end the security guard apparently gave him another talking to and as my friend and I were ushered in the man was all smiles... seriously, looked like a completely different man... and offered to buy us and the man who'd been next after us a coffee for our trouble.

Two words: Ле ле!

We politely declined as we all had a schedule to keep. It didn't take long to take my prints and to pose for my unsmiling picture (you're not allowed to smile... pictures are supposed to be serious). It was a bad picture, btw. Good thing I'm only stuck with it for a year (unlike the awful passport picture I've had since 2000). Anyways, this morning was another really good lesson in line etiquette here in the Balkans: know your place in the crowd, wait your turn and stand your ground... unless you can slip inside the door. :)