Google Lost and Found

I found a bank card on the sidewalk in front of our office yesterday and it did not belong to anyone within shouting distance.

As a frequent misplacer of all things, I considered leaving it in case the person  retraced their steps, but then I decided to grab it for safe keeping.

This morning my colleague was on an endless hold with the bank about the card when I suggested that she Google the Guy.  The probable match was made within seconds and it turned out that our Mr Ramirez*  works at a high-profile and high-security International Organization here in The Hague.   This made the process of contacting him a bit tricky, but after initial refusals from security, she was eventually “allowed” to leave a voice mail.   A surprised Mr. Ramirez called back within minutes and he was delighted.    He simply thought he left his card at home and hadn’t blocked it.  He appreciated the extra effort we made to find him.  At lunch time he was standing in front of our door with a big smile and a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Mr. Ramirez was reunited with his card and left only to return a minute later.  He just had to ask how we made it past security.  I assured him they were not forthcoming with any information, but he must realize now how easy it is to be found.  That of course can be good or bad!

Unfortunately for my colleague, she had the afternoon off and missed Mr Ramirez by 10 minutes.  So, the flowers are mine!

*Name changed to protect his top secret status (at least a little bit).

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Janitor in Chief

Hours after class, I was still grading stacks of papers when Timo popped in to chat and to ask how long I would be.  He was ready to lock up the building and on his way out of the classroom, he cleared away debris left behind by the students and straightened chairs as he went.  I waved Good Night as I left school a few minutes later and noticed Timo tidying up the other classrooms as he made the rounds to turn out lights.

Timo’s cleaning efforts instantly struck a cord with me.  What’s the big deal, you ask?   Well, Timo is not the Janitor, he is actually the Dean of the School.  But this is not an ordinary school, it is New Business School Amsterdam. NBS is a private enterprise; Timo and the Management Team are entrepreneurs.  This is quite a shift from the typical bureaucratic academic institution, which brings me back to the trash. Continue reading »

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