Adventures
May. 15th, 2007 01:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigo_rose99The last leg of my journey was from Seoul on Korean Air to Malaysia. It was about 6-7 hours (I think, what with the time change). In Seoul, I was exhausted, jet lagged and cranky. My water bottles had been taken away in Tokyo and my 2+ hour flight from Tokyo had (in spite of the very nice food) very little water. Yes, I paged the stewardess and asked, but that only got me one extra glass. Anyway, in Seoul, I had no boarding pass for my flight and discovered that I was... on edge. Evidently my patience goes when I have very little sleep. Everyone was very nice, but kept directing me somewhere ELSE to get my boarding pass. If they didn't have printed signs in English to point to, I would have thought they were making it up. By the time I actually found the correct place to get my boarding pass, I was pretty much in tears.
So I'm waiting in the gate lounge (with my new boarding pass) and they called out something. I realized some of it was English, but it was too fast and accented. The gate person saw me stand up (behind the mass of people running for the door) and I caught "Business class" in the string of phrases. I joined the crowd which did not gracefully become a line. *sigh* Anyway, I go down the tube... and at the end there are two doors. Everyone else seems to be going in the one marked "Economy." But the other one says something like "Business/First class." I was alone when I turned toward that door. Weird.
So, inside, I have two stewardesses at my beck (I immediately asked for water) and I asked, "So, is it just me?" "There will be two of you." ...*pause* Two of us? Only two of us in Business class? *laugh* It was about 7 rows of 6 seats... And they stuck me against the bulkhead?! Anyway, this guy comes and Officially Greets me. Really Officially. Like he was the pilot. I think he was actually the head steward. I later realized that all of the English announcements were in his voice, though the stewardesses spoke excellant English, too. And when the other passenger arrived, this official greeter comes back!
The passenger guy and I chatted, and it turns out he is actually employed by the company I am contracted for. We had a nice talk, he drew me a map of places to see and do around my hotel. We were both a bit weirded out by the fact that we were the only ones in this huge section.
But right before we took off, I noticed a few other people in some of the seats behind us. Okay... And then, after the plane took off, the stewardess came by and drew curtains between us and the food prep section (not unusual) and then us and the whole rest of the cabin. The seats were totally the same, but we had an entire row in a tiny cabin to ourselves. The other guy checked, and our curtain said "First Class Only" on the other side. We were in First Class?!?! We had no idea! We both thought we were in business class!
Anyway, we got primo service. Our own lights (which they didn't back on until we both were awake). And I must have sucked down about 6 of their bottles of water and three glasses of it, in addition to the soup during the meal. I felt much better. Which led me to invade the food prep area at regular intervals to hit the bathroom. And every time I did, Official Greeter guy would demand "What can I get you? What do you need? We are at your service!" It was so totally over the top I was convinced he was joking. He had to be!
Just before we land, Official Greeter guy comes and says goodbye and thank you and everything to each of us. Officially. Whew!
The plane landed at about midnight, local time. But that is not the end of the story!
So, today, after breakfast and my work-related errands, I set out on a walk which they tell me will end up at a local mall. It was a much longer walk than I was led to believe, but that was fine. Totally humid, though. It was probably 85 and it felt like 99. Bleh. But the mall, which turned out to be large, 4 floors plus theatre, was air conditioned. I wandered happily. Not surprisingly, I ended up in a bookstore looking at their scifi when I'm approached by a guy in shorts and a t-shirt, who asks me if I was on a Korean Air flight. It is the Official Greeter guy! We talk a bit about books, where we are staying, and he manages to segue into.... Religion!
He is CHRISTIAN. Gotta-convert-you. He must have lectured me for... Well, it felt like 2 hours, what with the aching feet, but was likely only about 15 minutes. I could even see the bookstore employees behind him (who likely spoke English as well or better than him) giving him funny looks. I wanted to escape So Badly. He talked so long, I finally just managed to come up with a somewhat polite speech (Something like, "I think this is a very personal thing, and don't like discussing it with other people because it makes me uncomfortable." I think I was a bit more polite than that, but that was the gist.). I cannot believe that I got captured so... *sigh* I thought this sort of thing only happens in the US! *sigh*
Maybe he was joking, seeing how long he could string me along before I wigged? *sigh* Probably not. That would be too sane.
So I'm waiting in the gate lounge (with my new boarding pass) and they called out something. I realized some of it was English, but it was too fast and accented. The gate person saw me stand up (behind the mass of people running for the door) and I caught "Business class" in the string of phrases. I joined the crowd which did not gracefully become a line. *sigh* Anyway, I go down the tube... and at the end there are two doors. Everyone else seems to be going in the one marked "Economy." But the other one says something like "Business/First class." I was alone when I turned toward that door. Weird.
So, inside, I have two stewardesses at my beck (I immediately asked for water) and I asked, "So, is it just me?" "There will be two of you." ...*pause* Two of us? Only two of us in Business class? *laugh* It was about 7 rows of 6 seats... And they stuck me against the bulkhead?! Anyway, this guy comes and Officially Greets me. Really Officially. Like he was the pilot. I think he was actually the head steward. I later realized that all of the English announcements were in his voice, though the stewardesses spoke excellant English, too. And when the other passenger arrived, this official greeter comes back!
The passenger guy and I chatted, and it turns out he is actually employed by the company I am contracted for. We had a nice talk, he drew me a map of places to see and do around my hotel. We were both a bit weirded out by the fact that we were the only ones in this huge section.
But right before we took off, I noticed a few other people in some of the seats behind us. Okay... And then, after the plane took off, the stewardess came by and drew curtains between us and the food prep section (not unusual) and then us and the whole rest of the cabin. The seats were totally the same, but we had an entire row in a tiny cabin to ourselves. The other guy checked, and our curtain said "First Class Only" on the other side. We were in First Class?!?! We had no idea! We both thought we were in business class!
Anyway, we got primo service. Our own lights (which they didn't back on until we both were awake). And I must have sucked down about 6 of their bottles of water and three glasses of it, in addition to the soup during the meal. I felt much better. Which led me to invade the food prep area at regular intervals to hit the bathroom. And every time I did, Official Greeter guy would demand "What can I get you? What do you need? We are at your service!" It was so totally over the top I was convinced he was joking. He had to be!
Just before we land, Official Greeter guy comes and says goodbye and thank you and everything to each of us. Officially. Whew!
The plane landed at about midnight, local time. But that is not the end of the story!
So, today, after breakfast and my work-related errands, I set out on a walk which they tell me will end up at a local mall. It was a much longer walk than I was led to believe, but that was fine. Totally humid, though. It was probably 85 and it felt like 99. Bleh. But the mall, which turned out to be large, 4 floors plus theatre, was air conditioned. I wandered happily. Not surprisingly, I ended up in a bookstore looking at their scifi when I'm approached by a guy in shorts and a t-shirt, who asks me if I was on a Korean Air flight. It is the Official Greeter guy! We talk a bit about books, where we are staying, and he manages to segue into.... Religion!
He is CHRISTIAN. Gotta-convert-you. He must have lectured me for... Well, it felt like 2 hours, what with the aching feet, but was likely only about 15 minutes. I could even see the bookstore employees behind him (who likely spoke English as well or better than him) giving him funny looks. I wanted to escape So Badly. He talked so long, I finally just managed to come up with a somewhat polite speech (Something like, "I think this is a very personal thing, and don't like discussing it with other people because it makes me uncomfortable." I think I was a bit more polite than that, but that was the gist.). I cannot believe that I got captured so... *sigh* I thought this sort of thing only happens in the US! *sigh*
Maybe he was joking, seeing how long he could string me along before I wigged? *sigh* Probably not. That would be too sane.
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getting out of proselytizing conversations.
Date: 2007-05-15 08:15 pm (UTC)I don't think the flavor is important, I think the key is the way you say it. You want to say it like you would if someone politely offered you a lavish shrimp cocktail and you are allergic to shellfish. So very kind of you to offer, but I really must refuse.
Somehow this has always seemed to work for me. Maybe if you can convince the person that you've already picked a side they see that their cause is hopeless.
Re: getting out of proselytizing conversations.
Date: 2007-05-16 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-05-16 10:11 pm (UTC)