-^-for posterity-^-

the electricians here all dress in hunter orange. if you miss them, you must be colorblind.

i met a large group of them at a restaurant and they invited me over. they talked to me about all the electrical problems of the university.

they would say things like, 'do you know that large wire that runs from such-and-such a street over to the corner? well, that has been giving us problems.' i would respond with a shrug of the shoulders and a feign of interest and they would continue. 'we have been trying to fix it for the past few weeks. we think there's a problem with the connection.'

and that was the end of the conversation. what do you say to the people who fix the wires around campus? i know nothing about electricity and smile and nod. sure, there's a problem and i'm glad you are all there to fix it.

the teaching profession here is very important. they all respect me right off the bat simply because i am a teacher. i told them that, without the help of our mighty boys in orange, we would have no electricity and therefore no class. you were the reason we taught.
they loved it and i felt wonderful. we all left thinking we contributed something valuable to society.