FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON (SYDNEY AIRPORT)
IN MY last trip to China five years ago I had expected on leaving the customs gates to find myself at the departure gates, attendants ready to take my boarding pass. Like a domestic terminal I had imagined a long space - one side covered with windows that gaze out across the tarmac - interrupted by tubular exits ready to flow passengers onto their planes.
Instead, cultureshock. I hadn't even left Australia and I had this feeling of disorientation. Instead of long windows I had come out of customs into a shopping mall. Assaulted by Versache, bottles of Johnnie Walker and endless Chanel I wondered where my plane had gone. Puzzled, I looked around until at last I saw a sign pointing to the airport gates.
That was in 2000. This time, like Algernon in the maze, I was quickly able to traverse the obstacles and traps to get to our destination.
The maze however claimed a victim. A 6MB blue iPod mini had lept out of its enclosure and had Kathryn hostage. Despite her protests (which weren't that much) it forced her to buy it.
Jo had powered onto the gate for our flight and eyed the queue. Just as the queue came down to its last person Kathryn appeared. She sauntered up, slapped her boarding pass into the attendants hand and smiled at us,
"See - it's better this way - you don't have to wait in the queue." Whilst I had to admire her impecable timing - I was filled with the thought that this would be an interesting trip. Interesting in the sense of the Chinese proverb.
Instead, cultureshock. I hadn't even left Australia and I had this feeling of disorientation. Instead of long windows I had come out of customs into a shopping mall. Assaulted by Versache, bottles of Johnnie Walker and endless Chanel I wondered where my plane had gone. Puzzled, I looked around until at last I saw a sign pointing to the airport gates.
That was in 2000. This time, like Algernon in the maze, I was quickly able to traverse the obstacles and traps to get to our destination.
The maze however claimed a victim. A 6MB blue iPod mini had lept out of its enclosure and had Kathryn hostage. Despite her protests (which weren't that much) it forced her to buy it.
Jo had powered onto the gate for our flight and eyed the queue. Just as the queue came down to its last person Kathryn appeared. She sauntered up, slapped her boarding pass into the attendants hand and smiled at us,
"See - it's better this way - you don't have to wait in the queue." Whilst I had to admire her impecable timing - I was filled with the thought that this would be an interesting trip. Interesting in the sense of the Chinese proverb.
posted by Unknown | 10:40 AM
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