Yesterday *or* The longest Day Ever
My bag, with the four masks and shoes and clothes, was slightly overweight for a carry-on. Although the businessmen were allowed to carry laptops and overnight bags and suits, the woman at the counter forced me to check my bag. I objected to her that I had a concert in the evening and would need my dress and my shoes and the masks would be broken... In the end the bag was checked with a promise that someone would bring it to me in Johannesburg. I carried the masks.
In Jo'Burg no-one brought my my bags. By the time I finished getting my boarding pass from the South African Airways transfer desk everyone from Aero Linhas Mozambique had left. I had no choice but to go through immigration (which filled up another page in the passport - I have had it for a month now and already it is half full - not fair! It is supposed to last until 2011) and fech my bag in the carousel
picked up my bag, stuffed the masks back inside, and made a quick trip to the WC. Then I noticed that - oh, NO - the boarding pass was missing. By that time I had cleared customs. No-one would let me go back into the restricted area and look for it. No-one was helping me at all. I had a few hours, but I didn't want to buy another ticket, which was what I was being told I would have to do. So, I did what any brave girl does in a time of peril. A few sniffs, and I burst into dramatic and useful tears!
...And can you believe it? People became healpful. I know it isn't quite right to use years as a weapon, but all I have to do is think of buying another ticket instead of putting the money towards the student loan and I get a bit sniffly... Although I had to sit into the office with the shift superfisor, who had a cold and spent the whole time playing with a box of bullet casings which had been confiscated from a game hunter and talking about how her cold medicine made her feel like she was on pot, and isn't pot great (this is AIRPORT SECURITY), in the end someone turned in my boarding pass (which apparently never happens at this airport), and I sniffed once more and blew my nose dramatically and skipped out of the office and through security (leaving the poor UN delegate whose passport had been lost and whose plane was leaving in 10 minutes) behind.
After that it was on to Lusaka! The armoured convoy was waiting for me at the airport. A young guy I had been talking to in the passport line was worried that I would not be okay getting to my hotel, but when he saw me flanked by security guards with machine guns I assume he felt a lot better about my capacity to care for myself.
Sis met me at the hotel, and we left for a final rehearsal with the pianist. It was as if the first rehearsal hadn't even happened! We spent almost 2 hours going over everything again and again, lwaving us just 20 minutes to prepare for the concert. We first had to put the pianist's music in order (the music society woman looked at us snootily when we arrived and informed us that the pianist did not have her music in the correct order. I replied that I had given her the order 3 days before ad that frankly was not my problem. And then she promptly disappeared. The pianist was a wreck at the end of the rehearsal, so while Sis gave me an up-do at the hotel, I arranged the music. Back at the venue I tried to cover up the face-bites (ew), and threw on my dress, and...
...Another wonderful concert! The news came and taped a segment of the concert, so I assume we will be on television tonight. There was a banner announcing the concert (which I am trying to get to bring home), and a beautiful, professionally designed program. This was a more cabaret-style evening, with dinner and a concert (yum, dinner), and by the end everyone was singing along. At the end of the concert the crowd demanded that we repeat 'On My Own" from Les Miserables, and "Padam Padam". What a fun, successful evening!
Today sis and I plan to go to a market. She will be finished work any minute, and it is a beautiful day. Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Victora Falls (usually people fly, but the bus costs a fraction of the price, and we will be able to see the counry a bit)
What a wonderful adventure!
In Jo'Burg no-one brought my my bags. By the time I finished getting my boarding pass from the South African Airways transfer desk everyone from Aero Linhas Mozambique had left. I had no choice but to go through immigration (which filled up another page in the passport - I have had it for a month now and already it is half full - not fair! It is supposed to last until 2011) and fech my bag in the carousel
picked up my bag, stuffed the masks back inside, and made a quick trip to the WC. Then I noticed that - oh, NO - the boarding pass was missing. By that time I had cleared customs. No-one would let me go back into the restricted area and look for it. No-one was helping me at all. I had a few hours, but I didn't want to buy another ticket, which was what I was being told I would have to do. So, I did what any brave girl does in a time of peril. A few sniffs, and I burst into dramatic and useful tears!
...And can you believe it? People became healpful. I know it isn't quite right to use years as a weapon, but all I have to do is think of buying another ticket instead of putting the money towards the student loan and I get a bit sniffly... Although I had to sit into the office with the shift superfisor, who had a cold and spent the whole time playing with a box of bullet casings which had been confiscated from a game hunter and talking about how her cold medicine made her feel like she was on pot, and isn't pot great (this is AIRPORT SECURITY), in the end someone turned in my boarding pass (which apparently never happens at this airport), and I sniffed once more and blew my nose dramatically and skipped out of the office and through security (leaving the poor UN delegate whose passport had been lost and whose plane was leaving in 10 minutes) behind.
After that it was on to Lusaka! The armoured convoy was waiting for me at the airport. A young guy I had been talking to in the passport line was worried that I would not be okay getting to my hotel, but when he saw me flanked by security guards with machine guns I assume he felt a lot better about my capacity to care for myself.
Sis met me at the hotel, and we left for a final rehearsal with the pianist. It was as if the first rehearsal hadn't even happened! We spent almost 2 hours going over everything again and again, lwaving us just 20 minutes to prepare for the concert. We first had to put the pianist's music in order (the music society woman looked at us snootily when we arrived and informed us that the pianist did not have her music in the correct order. I replied that I had given her the order 3 days before ad that frankly was not my problem. And then she promptly disappeared. The pianist was a wreck at the end of the rehearsal, so while Sis gave me an up-do at the hotel, I arranged the music. Back at the venue I tried to cover up the face-bites (ew), and threw on my dress, and...
...Another wonderful concert! The news came and taped a segment of the concert, so I assume we will be on television tonight. There was a banner announcing the concert (which I am trying to get to bring home), and a beautiful, professionally designed program. This was a more cabaret-style evening, with dinner and a concert (yum, dinner), and by the end everyone was singing along. At the end of the concert the crowd demanded that we repeat 'On My Own" from Les Miserables, and "Padam Padam". What a fun, successful evening!
Today sis and I plan to go to a market. She will be finished work any minute, and it is a beautiful day. Tomorrow we are taking a bus to Victora Falls (usually people fly, but the bus costs a fraction of the price, and we will be able to see the counry a bit)
What a wonderful adventure!
posted by Melamondiale @ 11:37 PM
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