EB and I have had long discussions about the vast differences in Americans and Australians. To some extent, it extends to people in lots of other foreign countries. US people seem to have such a sense of entitlement. You can almost always pick out the Americans while travelling. First of all, they’re fatter than most anyone else around. Secondly, they’re wearing white tennis shoes while walking down the street. There is a tendency toward ridiculous looking fanny packs.
What makes them show up even more, though, is the visible attitude. There’s a tendency to think if one speaks louder, someone else will learn English instantly, as if divinely inspired to comprehension. If the locals would only realize they’re talking to an American, they’ll be so thrilled to be in our presence that doors will magically open.
There are exceptions, of course, and we try to fall into those categories when we can. If you try to speak the local dialect, people tend to brighten immediately and almost always smile and get more friendly. If you laugh and confess your confusion with something local (money, bus tickets, or whatever), clerks, taxi drivers or whomever are almost always helpful.
If we remember that we’re guests who are allowed to experience someplace else, and act accordingly, it’s almost always a good experience.
On the other hand, let’s compare that to some of the conditions in the US right now. Clerks in stores seem to think that customers are an imposition rather than the reason for existing. With few exceptions, (the Lowes and Harris Teeter grocery stores near us leap to mind, which are in direct competition with each other) if you ask for help finding something you’ll be told or they’ll point – if you can find a clerk. In most stores in Australia, someone was right there to offer assistance and they’d either lead you to something or get it and bring it to you. There was a friendly congeniality that was not invasive or offensive, but made you feel welcome in a place of business.
The place that I think it’s most noticeable is in the airports. TSA (or their equivalent) in other countries are unfailingly polite. This is even in countries that have stricter rules than the US – Germany and Italy, for instance – but the people enforcing the rules are much more pleasant about it, and offer direction and explanation. Twice in US airports I was left standing waiting for directions on what to do, whether to wait, or to go on. The responses were consistently just rude. Such a change to elsewhere in the world.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Homeward Bound
February 20, 2009 - This morning was that kind of anxious time that happens the last day of vacation; there’s not enough time to really do much of anything, but you kind of hate to waste the last few minutes.
We had an 11:00 checkout, and the car was supposed to be there to pick us up at the same time. For the first time, they were a little late – not enough to make a difference, but enough that we noticed it. Turns out that the drivers were all running ragged because the Queen Victoria cruise ship had come into port the night before, so they were picking people up and dropping them off around the City.
Once again, we were amazed how the airports in other countries are everything that our own are not. There are staff who are actually courteous and helpful. Signs clearly mark what you’re supposed to do, usually in multiple languages (incidentally, bilingual here appears to mean English and Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese rather than Spanish). People are incredibly friendly when you go through the security and they still accomplish what they need to accomplish. We only had to hit American soil at LAX to discover that nothing had changed in the US.
US Customs and immigration officials were indifferent or unfriendly when they weren’t downright surly. For some reason, the guy wanted to know my occupation, specifically what type of attorney I was, and that got typed into a computer while he had my passport. What that has to do with anything I don’t know, but it doesn’t make the conspiracy theorist in me any more comfortable.
We had an 11:00 checkout, and the car was supposed to be there to pick us up at the same time. For the first time, they were a little late – not enough to make a difference, but enough that we noticed it. Turns out that the drivers were all running ragged because the Queen Victoria cruise ship had come into port the night before, so they were picking people up and dropping them off around the City.
Once again, we were amazed how the airports in other countries are everything that our own are not. There are staff who are actually courteous and helpful. Signs clearly mark what you’re supposed to do, usually in multiple languages (incidentally, bilingual here appears to mean English and Chinese, Korean or Vietnamese rather than Spanish). People are incredibly friendly when you go through the security and they still accomplish what they need to accomplish. We only had to hit American soil at LAX to discover that nothing had changed in the US.
US Customs and immigration officials were indifferent or unfriendly when they weren’t downright surly. For some reason, the guy wanted to know my occupation, specifically what type of attorney I was, and that got typed into a computer while he had my passport. What that has to do with anything I don’t know, but it doesn’t make the conspiracy theorist in me any more comfortable.
Qantas Ride Home
It’s not possible to say enough nice things about Qantas airlines. It’s how air travel used to be, and shows how it still could be if someone put some initiative into it. I can’t imagine that they’re not losing money as badly as any other airline. Nonetheless, the fact that they’re going all out to help the passenger have a pleasant experience shows.
On one of the flights, we saw a film about their special training school that flight crews attend. In addition to the things you’d expect – emergency evacuations, how to deal with unruly passengers, etc., they also teach courses about wines, impressions and body language, food preparation and presentation, and things that go a significant step beyond what we normally get on a US Airline.
Jen, the flight attendant who took care of us this trip, was so incredibly pleasant when you know she had to be just dog-tired after working a flight like that. The food was pretty good (at least as far as airline food goes), and they came by through the night with glasses of water, made sure we knew there were sandwiches and snacks available if we wanted them, and then as they were waking us up in the morning brought hot towels by so you could freshen up a bit.
It’s a big fall to go from there to US Airways, where they make it clear if you want a soda or a snack, you’ll be paying for it. You also have to pay for blankies and pillows on here now. The US Air flight is packed full and there are 3 (maybe 4) flight attendants for the entire plane. Jen told us there were 22 on the flight over. The plane used by US Airways is dirty and, as seems more often than not lately, my seat won’t recline AT ALL. It is incredibly loud and makes rattling noises that aren’t especially reassuring. I never had to use my earplugs on Qantas; the noise just wasn’t there on either their domestic or international flights. It’s so loud on this one that you couldn’t talk to the people next to you without shouting. This, for a cross-country flight in the US!
On one of the flights, we saw a film about their special training school that flight crews attend. In addition to the things you’d expect – emergency evacuations, how to deal with unruly passengers, etc., they also teach courses about wines, impressions and body language, food preparation and presentation, and things that go a significant step beyond what we normally get on a US Airline.
Jen, the flight attendant who took care of us this trip, was so incredibly pleasant when you know she had to be just dog-tired after working a flight like that. The food was pretty good (at least as far as airline food goes), and they came by through the night with glasses of water, made sure we knew there were sandwiches and snacks available if we wanted them, and then as they were waking us up in the morning brought hot towels by so you could freshen up a bit.
It’s a big fall to go from there to US Airways, where they make it clear if you want a soda or a snack, you’ll be paying for it. You also have to pay for blankies and pillows on here now. The US Air flight is packed full and there are 3 (maybe 4) flight attendants for the entire plane. Jen told us there were 22 on the flight over. The plane used by US Airways is dirty and, as seems more often than not lately, my seat won’t recline AT ALL. It is incredibly loud and makes rattling noises that aren’t especially reassuring. I never had to use my earplugs on Qantas; the noise just wasn’t there on either their domestic or international flights. It’s so loud on this one that you couldn’t talk to the people next to you without shouting. This, for a cross-country flight in the US!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Saturday Feb 21 2009
Arrived home safely in NC last night. Walked through our door around 11 pm. More later....once we come outta this fog. Oh wait...if that's a criteria..may never hear from us again. We'll do our final entry soon.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday morning here (Thursday there)
Today is our travel day. Luggage is mostly packed....we've had breakfast.....and now we're waiting to go to the airport. Our ride is to be here at 11 am. It's about an hour to the airport. Our flight departs at 3 PM today (Friday) and arrives at 10 AM today (Friday) in Los Angeles. Odd. But we've gotten somewhat used to being in a different hemisphere.
Final thing before we are out the door will be to put on our Dr. Scholl's cankle preventers....aka TED hose. We bought some (Dr. Scholl's brand in UK sizes so we are hoping they do the trick). Some of you will remember that by the time we arrived here our ankles were three times their normal sizes. For the return trip home we are hoping to at least keep them compressed to no more than twice their size.
Our trek home will take a mere 21 hours. When we arrive in Charlotte at 8:45 pm Friday night it will be 1 PM on Saturday in Sydney. Theoretically we should be wide awake! We'll see.
We are on Qantas Flight 11.
Packing
Packing is always exciting when you come back. The collapsible mesh laundry hamper ($5.00 at Walgreens) that lives in the suitcase permanently is still appreciated as a wonderful concept and money well spent. The motion-detector battery operated nightlight appears to have given up the ghost. At $10.00 from the Sportsman's Guide, it's done at least half a dozen cruises and other trips, so it's been a good deal, too. The older you get, the more important it is to be able to find your way around the bathroom in the middle of the night. Preferably without waking up the other people in the room.
I turn all the clothes that are dirty wrong-side out, so it’s easy to sort the laundry when we get home. In this case, it’s also pointless since by now most everything is dirty even with the two laundry jobs that have occurred since we left. We’ve each abandoned a pair of shoes here, and as is our norm an assortment of raggy underwear has reached the end of its useful life and will be left behind. What we're wearing home could safely be worn to the emergency room without embarrassing either of our mothers should the need arise. Luggage didn’t get lighter for us, though (we’re still pushing 50 pounds in each of those large suitcases, the maximum allowed by US Airways without a penalty), but our carry-ons are much lighter than they were. All the reading material that came initially, either for work or to be read, “when we get around to it,” is relegated to the big luggage now in recognition that we’re unlikely to read it on the way back home. This wasn't really a "reading" trip for some reason, probably because there wasn't a lot of pool time built in like on a cruise.
It’s been a great trip – the longest we’ve ever taken together, and we haven’t killed each other and even still enjoy traveling together. That’s more than a lot of people can say after sharing a hotel room for 3 weeks, so we’re in good shape. Although we’re both ready to go home, it’s not homesickness. If there were another week or two, we’d be fine with that as well.
This isn't the last entry yet. We've got some more pics to put up, and with two VERY long plane rides ahead of us I'm sure that something will come up that ought to be included. Besides, we've still got commentary on things we noticed to include.
I turn all the clothes that are dirty wrong-side out, so it’s easy to sort the laundry when we get home. In this case, it’s also pointless since by now most everything is dirty even with the two laundry jobs that have occurred since we left. We’ve each abandoned a pair of shoes here, and as is our norm an assortment of raggy underwear has reached the end of its useful life and will be left behind. What we're wearing home could safely be worn to the emergency room without embarrassing either of our mothers should the need arise. Luggage didn’t get lighter for us, though (we’re still pushing 50 pounds in each of those large suitcases, the maximum allowed by US Airways without a penalty), but our carry-ons are much lighter than they were. All the reading material that came initially, either for work or to be read, “when we get around to it,” is relegated to the big luggage now in recognition that we’re unlikely to read it on the way back home. This wasn't really a "reading" trip for some reason, probably because there wasn't a lot of pool time built in like on a cruise.
It’s been a great trip – the longest we’ve ever taken together, and we haven’t killed each other and even still enjoy traveling together. That’s more than a lot of people can say after sharing a hotel room for 3 weeks, so we’re in good shape. Although we’re both ready to go home, it’s not homesickness. If there were another week or two, we’d be fine with that as well.
This isn't the last entry yet. We've got some more pics to put up, and with two VERY long plane rides ahead of us I'm sure that something will come up that ought to be included. Besides, we've still got commentary on things we noticed to include.
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