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rkestner
02-05-2003, 06:27 AM
hey!  don't accuse me of trying to get my next star by putting up a lot of posts!

coastal,  thanks for starting this forum.  i think time will prove it's worth.

i have been reminicising about our september 02 osd experience, and in spite of all the detailed info i try to share, including critical photos & lessons learned, i wanted to share what i think is the single most important element to a successful osd experience - YOUR attitude.

i am convinced that the main reason we had such a positive, absolutely life-changing experience was our attitude.  we approached everything as an adventure, took advantage of every opportunity, were friendly to everyone, took gifts to share, and made every contact a personal one.  we never once thought about what we 'deserved' for spending so much money for a car, griped about how it was different from the states, berated our dealer, or nitpicked.  when we arrived at the fdc and the obnoxious couple picking up the convertible jumped in line ahead of us, we took the offered limo ride and ate lunch, meeting some wonderful folks in the employee dining room.  when we got back to fdc and someone else had arrived, we took the volvo employee shuttle van on a circuit of torslanda and had our own impromptu/unofficial tour-seeing things  most tourists don't see.  at turn-in, we took time out to be interviewed by the dockhouse video crew and ended up meeting some wonderful older swedish folks who were sailing out of the harbour for a yearly holiday.  afterwards the fdc crew had a limo take us to the zoo to see the moose.  we shared our new mexico state flag 'zia' pins with everyone, and they probably still remember us in a positive light.  

anyway, ATTITUDE.  i firmly believe it makes all the difference in the world, and in the OSD experience.

sooooo..........  good luck in your travels, have a great time, have a good attitude.

Low Tide
02-05-2003, 10:11 AM
Kudos-

As a past representative of the US govt overseas and at the UN, I certainly agree that attitude is everything.  We all have obligations thoughout our lives to make situations as positive as possible.  Personally, those things that I most detest have to do with a sense of entitlement- and in the case of something like the OSD experience, it is easy to lose sight of how one should act.

AutoMonkey
03-19-2003, 11:07 AM
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">anyway, ATTITUDE. i firmly believe it makes all the difference in the world[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Having just returned from our OSD trip, I just wanted to second this... We viewed this as a great opportunity to explore part of the world that, frankly, we would probably never have otherwise considered for a vacation. We really felt that we got a view of many aspects of Swedish life - rural, provincial and city. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful, and contributed to our overwhelmingly positive experience. Our only regret was not being able to stay longer...

AutoMonkey

mrb
03-20-2003, 12:07 AM
You all have set a good example for us and your posting certainly makes it easier for us to do well knowing what to expect. &nbsp;You also make our waiting period very exciting because we are able &quot;enjoy&quot; through your experience. &nbsp;Thanks again for enriching this experience for the rest of us.