China:
"TWO MINUTES!!!!!!"
And then, a frantic run around the corner to the plane. I stuff my ticket stub into the hand of a disbelieving Chinese flight attendant and sprint onto the plane. Then, the jamming of luggage into the overhead bin and seat in front of me, and I collapse into my chair. I fall fast asleep before the plane takes off; Dramamine to the rescue.
Earlier that morning...
We have a 5am bus call, for a 7:20 flight. That's pushing it, I think, but hey -- all 70 of us are quite experienced with traveling now, and even traveling mishaps -- we'll be fine. It usually takes us 20 minutes to load the luggage and get seated -- we should be on our way by 5:20.
5:30: 4 people still aren't on the buses (including the Personnel Manager). Phone calls to hotel rooms begin.
5:45: 3 people still aren't on the buses. Their rooms are empty, luggage mostly gone; their location is a mystery.
5:55: We leave for the airport. The 3 missing people are left behind.
6:30: We get to the airport, and frantically begin checking in. We use the self-checkin to get the tickets, but still need to line up to check the luggage. All 70 of us.
6:40: We're at the front of the line. We all have our tickets. With any luck, we'll still get on the plane. My heart is beating fast; this kind of anxiety makes me crazy, and I can feel my hair turning grey. It's going to be a bitch to pull out later.
6:41: A middle-aged Chinese lady comes right to the front of the line with 12 people in tow. She hands the 12 IDs to the attendant, completely cutting the line. We all shout "NO!" but she does it anyhow. The attendant takes her IDs.
6:42: I see our tour guide/translator and call to her. "Alice! This lady cut in front of us. We're going to miss our damn flight." I wouldn't care; it's not my problem per-say, except that missing the flight means we're going to be stuck in another airport for the entire day, and most likely we'd still have to play the concert that night.
6:42:30: Alice comes to the front of the line and tries to talk to the lady who cut in front of us. The lady simply doesn't respond. I tap her on the shoulder. She doesn't turn around. She's getting her way by ignoring us. WHAT THE HELL? This would never happen at home -- people line up in a line because it's a LINE, and you wait your damn turn.
6:44: It's clear we're just going to have to wait for her to process all 12 people and their luggage. Boarding for our plane ends in T-6minutes and we still have to go through security. I hate everyone.
6:45: The lady makes the mistake of dropping her water bottle and some papers. I kick the living SHIT out of her water bottle. It slams into her legs and then bounces to the counter wall. She finally looks at me. Her look is one of disbelief and hurt. I feel horrible. I lost my temper and this poor lady doesn't understand why.
6:45:30: Alice decides we should try to use the group check-in downstairs. We all troop down the stairs, tripping over luggage barriers.
6:47: We're at the wrong airline's group check-in.
6:51: Luggage lined up by the correct counter with no tags, but with the promise that they'll get on the correct flight. Hmm. Head up to security. I'm one of the first in the group.
7:02: Just about through security. I hadn't had any problems with my flute on any of the 100 billion flights we'd already been on when traveling up and down China for the past 2 weeks. This time though, the guard decides it's necessary to look through it.
7:04: He finds the little screwdriver I keep in the flute case pocket and holds it up. I scream "It's just for the flute. I'M GOING TO MISS MY FLIGHT. LEAVE ME ALONE!" He looks startled, but shrugs his shoulder and looks toward his co-worker. I grab the screwdriver and shove my flute back into the over-stuffed Altieri bag. I start running down the terminal toward the gate, just hoping no one comes after me with Chinese handcuffs.
Since I was first in line (surprised?), I had already been instructed to try to hold the plane, to stand in the doorway if necessary.
7:05: I get on the people-movers and begin my full-out sprint. Of course there are people in the way, and since I don't know how to say "Excuse me" in Chinese, I just continually shout "NI-HAO! NI-HAO! SHEI-SHEI! NI-HAO!" (Which means, of course, "HELLO! HELLO! THANK YOU! HELLO!") I'm running down those corridors like a lunatic, thanking previous coaches for the track workouts.
7:14: I get to the gate and say, while gasping for air "LOTS MORE PEOPLE. COMING. SOON. PLEASE." I get the nod from the flight attendant and she holds 2 fingers up. My eyes widen and I run back to the corner of the hall, leaving my carry-ons on the floor next to the gate. I shout toward everyone else tumbling toward me...
"TWO MINUTES!!!!!"
So, we made the flight. And somehow, so did our luggage. It was a Chinese Christmas miracle, I think. But, I felt horrible for the rest of the day. Stress and sedatives combined with lack of sleep and having to perform will do that to you, I suppose. But even more than that, I was ashamed at my lack of control. From kicking a stranger's water bottle, to screaming at a security guard, to the maniacal run through the airport, I simply boiled over.
We all have our buttons, and lack of organization is definitely one of mine. Two weeks of dealing with misinformed schedules had taken its toll. I couldn't handle it anymore. The nightcap or five of baijiu no longer helped calm my nerves and I just lost it. I had been operating very close to my breaking point, and when that lady cut in front of us, all the pushing and shoving of the past two weeks came to a head -- I was PISSED, and I was no longer going to accept it.
As one of my best friends from the tour said, I was "having a moment."
But, there are better ways to handle things. I have to be better at handling things. No one else kicked water bottles, so why did I?
The China tour was great -- I met some absolutely amazing people and musicians that I hope stay in my life for a long time to come, and I experienced a part of the world about which I previously knew almost nothing. I don't regret going.
I hope though, that I learn from some of the harder parts of the tour.
Lessons learned:
If something seems sketchy and/or disorganized, it probably is; trust your gut. I'm inspired to take dance classes. I won't take nearly as much bullshit; I won't be walked on anymore. Keep your cool; nothing is worth that level of stress. Enjoy the music, no matter what the circumstance. Environmental laws are good. Trying new food is always a nice thing to do, but once in a while you (I) need some simple yogurt and fresh brewed coffee.
After that fateful day at the airport, I became known as "The One Who Kicks Babies." Gotta love rumors within small groups of people... (I admit: I kind of cultivated that one. I thought it was hilarious.)
Oh, and those 3 missing people? They met us the next day in the next city. They had changed hotel rooms because theirs smelled like ass, and of course there was no paper trail. Every hotel room door had to be pounded to find them.
The best part? There are several more just-as-insane stories. It was quite a trip.
"TWO MINUTES!!!!!!"
And then, a frantic run around the corner to the plane. I stuff my ticket stub into the hand of a disbelieving Chinese flight attendant and sprint onto the plane. Then, the jamming of luggage into the overhead bin and seat in front of me, and I collapse into my chair. I fall fast asleep before the plane takes off; Dramamine to the rescue.
Earlier that morning...
We have a 5am bus call, for a 7:20 flight. That's pushing it, I think, but hey -- all 70 of us are quite experienced with traveling now, and even traveling mishaps -- we'll be fine. It usually takes us 20 minutes to load the luggage and get seated -- we should be on our way by 5:20.
5:30: 4 people still aren't on the buses (including the Personnel Manager). Phone calls to hotel rooms begin.
5:45: 3 people still aren't on the buses. Their rooms are empty, luggage mostly gone; their location is a mystery.
5:55: We leave for the airport. The 3 missing people are left behind.
6:30: We get to the airport, and frantically begin checking in. We use the self-checkin to get the tickets, but still need to line up to check the luggage. All 70 of us.
6:40: We're at the front of the line. We all have our tickets. With any luck, we'll still get on the plane. My heart is beating fast; this kind of anxiety makes me crazy, and I can feel my hair turning grey. It's going to be a bitch to pull out later.
6:41: A middle-aged Chinese lady comes right to the front of the line with 12 people in tow. She hands the 12 IDs to the attendant, completely cutting the line. We all shout "NO!" but she does it anyhow. The attendant takes her IDs.
6:42: I see our tour guide/translator and call to her. "Alice! This lady cut in front of us. We're going to miss our damn flight." I wouldn't care; it's not my problem per-say, except that missing the flight means we're going to be stuck in another airport for the entire day, and most likely we'd still have to play the concert that night.
6:42:30: Alice comes to the front of the line and tries to talk to the lady who cut in front of us. The lady simply doesn't respond. I tap her on the shoulder. She doesn't turn around. She's getting her way by ignoring us. WHAT THE HELL? This would never happen at home -- people line up in a line because it's a LINE, and you wait your damn turn.
6:44: It's clear we're just going to have to wait for her to process all 12 people and their luggage. Boarding for our plane ends in T-6minutes and we still have to go through security. I hate everyone.
6:45: The lady makes the mistake of dropping her water bottle and some papers. I kick the living SHIT out of her water bottle. It slams into her legs and then bounces to the counter wall. She finally looks at me. Her look is one of disbelief and hurt. I feel horrible. I lost my temper and this poor lady doesn't understand why.
6:45:30: Alice decides we should try to use the group check-in downstairs. We all troop down the stairs, tripping over luggage barriers.
6:47: We're at the wrong airline's group check-in.
6:51: Luggage lined up by the correct counter with no tags, but with the promise that they'll get on the correct flight. Hmm. Head up to security. I'm one of the first in the group.
7:02: Just about through security. I hadn't had any problems with my flute on any of the 100 billion flights we'd already been on when traveling up and down China for the past 2 weeks. This time though, the guard decides it's necessary to look through it.
7:04: He finds the little screwdriver I keep in the flute case pocket and holds it up. I scream "It's just for the flute. I'M GOING TO MISS MY FLIGHT. LEAVE ME ALONE!" He looks startled, but shrugs his shoulder and looks toward his co-worker. I grab the screwdriver and shove my flute back into the over-stuffed Altieri bag. I start running down the terminal toward the gate, just hoping no one comes after me with Chinese handcuffs.
Since I was first in line (surprised?), I had already been instructed to try to hold the plane, to stand in the doorway if necessary.
7:05: I get on the people-movers and begin my full-out sprint. Of course there are people in the way, and since I don't know how to say "Excuse me" in Chinese, I just continually shout "NI-HAO! NI-HAO! SHEI-SHEI! NI-HAO!" (Which means, of course, "HELLO! HELLO! THANK YOU! HELLO!") I'm running down those corridors like a lunatic, thanking previous coaches for the track workouts.
7:14: I get to the gate and say, while gasping for air "LOTS MORE PEOPLE. COMING. SOON. PLEASE." I get the nod from the flight attendant and she holds 2 fingers up. My eyes widen and I run back to the corner of the hall, leaving my carry-ons on the floor next to the gate. I shout toward everyone else tumbling toward me...
"TWO MINUTES!!!!!"
So, we made the flight. And somehow, so did our luggage. It was a Chinese Christmas miracle, I think. But, I felt horrible for the rest of the day. Stress and sedatives combined with lack of sleep and having to perform will do that to you, I suppose. But even more than that, I was ashamed at my lack of control. From kicking a stranger's water bottle, to screaming at a security guard, to the maniacal run through the airport, I simply boiled over.
We all have our buttons, and lack of organization is definitely one of mine. Two weeks of dealing with misinformed schedules had taken its toll. I couldn't handle it anymore. The nightcap or five of baijiu no longer helped calm my nerves and I just lost it. I had been operating very close to my breaking point, and when that lady cut in front of us, all the pushing and shoving of the past two weeks came to a head -- I was PISSED, and I was no longer going to accept it.
As one of my best friends from the tour said, I was "having a moment."
But, there are better ways to handle things. I have to be better at handling things. No one else kicked water bottles, so why did I?
The China tour was great -- I met some absolutely amazing people and musicians that I hope stay in my life for a long time to come, and I experienced a part of the world about which I previously knew almost nothing. I don't regret going.
I hope though, that I learn from some of the harder parts of the tour.
Lessons learned:
If something seems sketchy and/or disorganized, it probably is; trust your gut. I'm inspired to take dance classes. I won't take nearly as much bullshit; I won't be walked on anymore. Keep your cool; nothing is worth that level of stress. Enjoy the music, no matter what the circumstance. Environmental laws are good. Trying new food is always a nice thing to do, but once in a while you (I) need some simple yogurt and fresh brewed coffee.
After that fateful day at the airport, I became known as "The One Who Kicks Babies." Gotta love rumors within small groups of people... (I admit: I kind of cultivated that one. I thought it was hilarious.)
Oh, and those 3 missing people? They met us the next day in the next city. They had changed hotel rooms because theirs smelled like ass, and of course there was no paper trail. Every hotel room door had to be pounded to find them.
The best part? There are several more just-as-insane stories. It was quite a trip.
4 comments:
Oh China :) My favorite (other than the absurd switching from line to line in the airports for no clear reason) was the random fees for everything. When I moved back from China, I was charged for just about everything from canceling my visa to talking to the PSB about why I was leaving. Yup, they charged me for a conversation (actually it ended up being a series of conversations).
Despite that, I loved being there. If y'all went to Xian you were decently close to where I was. I was 8 1/2 hours north and west of Xian (I know, but that's the closest large population center). Sounds like it was a "good" experience :) Glad you made it back in one piece!
We were in Xian for 3 days -- one of my favorite spots...
That sounds like a lot of drama! Glad you made your plane...
That was a hilarious recounting of what I'm sure was the opposite of funny at the time! And I can totally relate. I was in one of the two other orchestras that were touring China at around the same time that your group was there. I think we all had ridiculously grueling schedules. It's so much fun to read other versions of the orchestra in China experience!
Here's mine - it's sort of in a daily photo blog format.
www.photo-cyn-thesis.blogspot.com
cyndy's china blog
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