Waiting in line at Jollibee

 On July 29, 2016,  the popular Filipino fast food restaurant Jollibee opened in Skokie.  It's the 1st Jollibee to open in the Midwest.  Most are in the Philippines, of course, but there are some in California and there's one in New Jersey and one in Las Vegas. 

So many Filipinos from Illinois (and neighboring states like Michigan and Indiana) flocked over to Skokie on grand opening day. Lines snaked around the building and the wait was incredibly long - like as in 5-6 hours! No joke!

I can understand the excitement, but to wait for HOURS is nuts!!! (And yes, I know because I was one of the crazy ones waiting!)

But this post is NOT about that ridiculously loooooong wait... 

I want to share about the positive...

What I want to share is how those slow-moving lines surprisingly brought out the good in people! 

I say "surprisingly" because I expected cranky, hangry people!  Instead, I witnessed several acts of kindness! 

There was one lady who was leaving with a bagful of food who then proceeded to give my daughter and these other kids some of her peach mango pies (so delish, btw!), because she felt bad that they were waiting out there for so long. 

Then there was a young man who offered his chair to an older gentleman who was having a difficult time standing there for so long.  There was a woman who offered me her portable charger when she noticed that I needed to charge my phone. There were some young gentlemen that kept us entertained with jokes about the wait and made us forget about our boredom.

It was truly heartwarming to witness the camaraderie among strangers.  

So yes it was an incredibly long wait, but at least people rose above the situation. Yay for humanity!💖

Now go and wait in line for some of Jollibee's Chickenjoy and Filipino spaghetti! 

Oh and then get yourself some of their peach mango pies or halo-halo for dessert! Yummmm!!!😋

Post script: 

I've been reading this book and one part totally sums up the same things I learned from this Jollibee waiting experience, so I'm adding these photos...

Sincero was talking about her experience traveling in India, but the lessons she learned about "living in the moment" and talking to strangers and finding humor totally resonate with what I went through.