Just a little something to say....thank you

Everywhere I have worked I have learned a few things from my superiors.

For the last year and half I have been volunteering at the Hospital. When I first started to work with my coordinator I noticed that she thanked me for everything I did. In the beginning I responded by telling her "come on I'm just doing my job." And I never just said "you're welcome." I was a little embarrassed that she kept thanking me for every little thing and I did not know how to react. Today I know her pretty well and every time she thanks me there is a smile on my face and, of course, I answer her with a simple and sincere "you're welcome."

It is not a general rule but I notice that here in the U.S. people are more likely to say "thank you" than in my country. For example I love that here when people step off of the bus they say "thank you" and wish the driver a "good day." I've started doing it too, and I truly thank him for driving me safely to my destination. I never once thanked a bus driver in Romania, and I never heard anyone else say it either.

Another thing that we do here in the US which we don't do in Romania is send "thank you" cards. And we send "thank you" cards for all kinds of reasons. I remember that I got a welcome gift when I arrived in the U.S., and I had to write a thank you card to that person. I wasn't sure what to say. I had to write something a little personal and I wasn't used to that. Even today it takes me a while to figure out a short and a concise way to express my feelings in a note.

I don't want to make it sound like Romanian people don't know how or when to say thank you. They do. But just not in these types of situations and certainly not so often.

You might think that saying "thank you" is so banal but makes such a big difference for both those who say it and those who receive it.