Orange Alert

Some of you may have read my previous post about Svetlana, the Ukrainian intern who occupies the cubicle next to mine.

One of the most interesting things about Svetlana is her lack of phone etiquette. Today, my quiet workspace was interrupted by a rather loud conversation that she was having, speaking in Ukrainian. I can only assume that this conversation was 1. Not work related, and 2. Not local. But I'm going out on a limb with that. Moments later the conversation has elevated into full non-English yelling. It seems that someone is bearing the brunt of Svetlana's Eastern European temper. The amazing part of this is that there wasn't even an attempt on her part to conceal the conversation from the rest of the office. Perhaps she is not aware of the fact that American employers look down upon numerous personal calls, let alone full fledged fighting at upper-decibel levels.

What really bothers me about this, aside from the obvious fact of the disturbance of my tranquil environment, is that I can't understand the conversation so I don't have the pleasure of eaves-dropping on her tirade. I consider it rude to yell within earshot and not let others in on the drama.

Finally, after 30 minutes in which Svetlana whirled like a dervish between screaming and laughing, she hung up the phone with a loud huff, grabbed her cigarettes and headed outside for a much-needed break leaving me emotionally exhausted. My last thought was that perhaps Svetlana should ask her doctor if Paxil is right for her.