Tuesday, August 29, 2006

I'M BACK!!!!!


Hiking in Yosemite - August 2006




Hello all you lovely people.
Yes I'm back - back in the USA and back in Blogland.
I've missed you all very much.

Life has been - ah, a little discombobulated lately - hard to believe I know.
I've been enjoying being back home - it's been nearly a month now - wow!
Time flies here in San Diego - it didn't in Taipei! I've been spending quality time with my friends and it's been really wonderful. I am blessed for sure. I'll get into the details soon.
We'll be here in the US until February '07, then we'll return to Taipei for a good 5 years. It's a little scary - but exciting too.


Anjoli and I had a rude awakening when we landed at LAX though. I didn't sleep on the plane, so I had gone at least 24 hours w/no sleep. Our luggage was delayed, so, after going through customs, I knew we probably wouldn't make the connecting flight to San Diego.
Anjoli and I struggled with our luggage - we had 4 huge suitcases and 2 backpacks. My poor daughter had to push her own cart up this ramp after customs and she was having a really hard time. She's only 8 years old. This (older American) woman looked at her and rather than offer to help, LAUGHED and added: "maybe you have too much luggage!" Of course, I couldn't go into the details about WHY we had so much luggage, shuffling between continents as it were, so I just gave her the meanest "if looks could kill" glare.
THEN - when we get to the exit, I was (mis)directed to take my 2 carts of luggage to terminal 7 - which felt, at that point, like a 10 mile uphill hike. I was running with my cart, yelling at Anjoli to hurry for fear of missing the flight. She breaks down, crying, so I try my best to pull both carts. I asked a couple of TSA guys for help, and they flatly refused. I know it's not their job, but, DO YOU THINK they'd help a mom and her kid out, just spare me a minute or two of their time? Ha!
SO we reach terminal 7 - and it's the WRONG terminal - turns out it's terminal 4.
Now I have reached the breaking point. I frantically looked for SOMEONE, ANYONE to help me wheel Anjoli's cart to Terminal 4. No one would help me. So I started screaming: "I HATE THIS COUNTRY!! WHY DID I COME BACK???!! WHY WON'T ANYONE HELP ME? WHY IS EVERYONE SO SELFISH???"
It's really strange, don't you think that kind of behavior would set off a red flag? Well, maybe not - terrorists tend to be a bit more subtle when they're about to blow up an airport! (This was way before the London terrorist plot was uncovered,btw).
Anyway, after one last futile plea for help from a female American Airlines employee, I figured out where to check in, but right before I did, an ASIAN man came toward me, gesturing that he was willing to help. Can you beat that? I thanked him, and was probably near tears and shaking at that point, but I got to the elevator and we checked in. We WERE too late for the connecting flight, but it was only an hour wait.
I yelled at the poor American Airlines employee at the check-in line, and I feel badly in retrospect. "Nobody will help me - including YOU!!" I said. I win drama queen of the year, I think!
One funny note, and this was a first: on the shuttle to the commuter gate we rode with mostly Asian passengers, and I noticed one Asian woman USING HER VIDEO CAMERA SCREEN as a mirror to fix her hair and make-up. (I'm not being racist, btw! I thought it was very clever actually. I felt more comfortable surrounded by Asians at that point!).
Well, the whole fiasco was a lesson for me. Sujoy called me on my cell twice from Taipei, but I wouldn't talk to him, because I am bull headed and was in a tizzy. BUT if I HAD listened to him, I would have checked my luggage back in at customs, NOT at the terminal (I have no idea why I was told to do that - AND she told me the wrong terminal, but you don't have to bring your luggage to the terminal. I thought that was the case, but wasn't sure about LAX).
The moral is: I shouldn't be so arrogant, I should listen to Sujoy, my darling husband, who is, (gulp) almost always right. URGH!!! He tried to tell me to go to Terminal 4, but I was too mental at the time to believe him.
This is the worst of my return to the US.
Thankfully, it gets better, as you'll see...

11 comments:

Delbut said...

Now you see. it's not clever for a lady to travel without her man. Of course he is always right. I'm not always right but i haven't been wrong yet. So did the bears shit in the wood?

And why is the world going to end soon? Is it because hapless ladies go on planes on their own?

BTW, i'm not sexist -i love you all.

lryicsgrl said...

Sheesh, Del is so eloquent with words, isn't he?

Awe, poor Anjoli, poor Sue.....I'm glad it gets better.

Suesjoy said...

oh delbut you read between the lines! good for you- I was thinking the same thing about flying (semi) solo.
Instant karma got me.
I'm just joshing about the world ending soon...but it supposedly is written in the Bible which I gather you haven't been reading in Brittany (Spears). :)

Hey susie! Yes it did get much better. And just for the record I don't hate my country, but I did at that particular moment...but I only had myself to blame for the predicament I was in as I now realize!
Ah life...it's a trip ain't it?

Fleur de Bee said...

OMG I sooooo understand you with the lack of customer service...wait I mean MANNERS in general! It really is lacking all over our country. What a disgrace!

Delbut are you for hire? Wait...don't answer that hehehe.

We will hook up somehow before you take off back to your other "home". What an exciting life you lead!

Hi To your beautiful daughter,
XX-Mols

grace said...

Hi Sue, wow, you had a crazy time at the airport. I can understand your frustration, especially when everyone looks the other way when a you're struggling, and make dumb comments. It is ok to go a bit mental at times. Deep breaths. ummmmm. Glad you are home safe. Welcome back, so did you shabve your head or keep your hair? xo Grace

Suesjoy said...

Hi Molly-
Oh you wouldn't believe the customer service in Taipei - I mentioned this on Tausha's blog, but everytime I went to 7-11 they's say (what sounded like) " walling gwalling 7-11" which means "welcome to 7-11!"
It was crazy - because I never knew how to reply to that.
"Why thank you, it's so good to be shopping here in your convenience store!"
Like I said though, it all got better for me once I got to San Diego...phew!

Hello Grace-
Yeah I really LOST it! Very scary. I'm actually going to take a meditation class so I can learn to deal w/stress better. I wonder about myself sometimes!
Haven't shaved my head yet, but judging from this picture that I so bravely posted, you can see why I'd like to!

Fleur de Bee said...

Well lets just plan on the B&N gig of Rachel's as well as a maybe on the show at Hollywood. Still undecided as to get a ticket. I would prefer to see the CC (sorry all you Who fans lol) so if they are playing then I would get a ticket. if not then lets just hang and have fun. I can even bring Lexi to play with Anjoli. They would have a blast!!

Thanks for the LONG post. LOL Mine are long too, but honestly I love them!

You are sooo very sweet about the pic. I will be camera in hand and ready when we meet up!

Have a fab weekend.
XX

lryicsgrl said...

Hi Sue,
I just put up a new post, it splains the other post, sort of.......I hope you hear about your HOLLYWOOD BOWL tickets, soon!

Summer is really over here....we had a bit of SUN today, after two weeks of RAIN!
So depressing, you know?

Keep in touch!
xoSUE

Delbut said...

Sue. I just read your comment on Sue's blog. Yes, you sound gay!

Excellent!!!!!!

Anne-Marie said...

Sue,
You should have flown through San Francisco. They are ever so polite and courteous there.

I thought I had a rough time because one of my favourite moisturisers got confiscated at the gate yesterday (I thought I had cleaned out the carry-on properly!) before I headed for home- yours sounds horrendous!

Welcome home.

Cheers,
AM

woof nanny said...

I went to Jamaica once, and I couldn't step outside without someone asking me for money in threatening ways. I came back to the US, landed in Los Angeles, and someone immediately helped me with my bags. I couldn't believe I didn't have to pay for it. God Bless America. My experience was totally different. I'm sorry for your frustrating time though. I'm soooo bummed you're only going to be here a few months.