I returned home on National day. Entry at Changi reminded me how much I am spoiled by singaporean efficiency. Airports in Italy were chaotic and though I love chaos and desperately miss it sometimes here in Singy; at airports I like the reliable order that Changi provides. I know how much time I will take to check in, get through immigration, walk to my gate and clear security. Italian airports on the other hand were unpredictable and nightmarish.
Catania particularly was a rude shock. The check in line snaked and snaked like an endless serpent whose the mouth had lost awareness of its tail. People tried to break lines and sneak in and though there were supposed to be eight counters open only two were manned. The line moved as slowly as a snail out on a leisurely, sunday stroll. We took 65 mins to get to the counter and the harried check in person frowned as she dealt with us and was irritated when we asked her the way to security. We had a half hour before our gate closed.
The security line was even longer and we kept glancing at the time as the line crept and curled, stopped suddenly for minutes and then moved a foot or two. We made it to the flight only to find somebody had occupied our seats!
Luckily the rest of our travel was on the road or rail track and we had only to be at one other airport on our last flight back. Malpensa Milano. We expected that to be a breeze since we were flying SQ and Deepak had managed to upgrade us to business. But a bizzare experience awaited us.
When we arrived at the check-in counter there were only two people in the line before us but each was taking an unusual amount of time to check in. We looked at each other wondering why but we had plenty of time. The airport was buzzing and I could feel the stress in the air but maybe it was just my own.
Our turn. She smiles and begins clicking on her keypad. A frown appears on her face and puzzled she asks, 'Did you fly in on the 20th on SQ?'
'Yes.'
'Did you change the ticket?'
'Only to upgrade.' Deepak replies.
'What's the problem?' I ask.
'There is a sequencing problem. The system shows you did not use the first ticket and so it's not allowing me to use the second,' she says clicking away on the keypad and talking to her colleagues in Italian. They smile amused. I love the way Italians seem to deal with things that don't go as they are supposed to. With unworried, knowing smiles.
'Did you really fly in on the 21st?' she asks again.
'Here we are.' Deepak says still smiling.
'Check the immigration stamp.' I reply.
She turns the pages to the visa page and looks up, 'Where is it?'
Shocked we look to see no stamp. I try to pull the passport out of her hand but she holds on. Deepak gently says, 'Can I look for it?'
She hands over the passport and he is shocked to see no stamp. Its his passport and he turns the pages but he's travelled so much that the pages are full of stamps and he can't find the stamp. Then he asks for my less stamped one and all three of us are relieved when he finds it.
She calls over the supervisor who seems to not be able to focus on one issue since many problems are coming up. She comes to us and wanders away. Finally when there are 40 mins left on the clock she comes over again and apologises. The supervisor does not have any success trying to resolve the issue either and calls the Milan SQ office. She informs us that the system shows we checked in at Singy but instead of it then showing flown it shows notification. We disappeared according to the system after check-in. 'We teleported,' I say, but without any hint of a smile.
Many minutes pass slowly. The supervisor shrugs helplessly when my husband asks if we will make the flight. Stress levels rising in him too now. 'Our visa expires today,' I say. Fantasies of being led away to some strange holding cell and classified as illegal come in.
'Did you call Singapore? Somebody is working on it in Singapore it seems,' the supervisor says to us looking perplexed. Finally they create a new ticket for us and hand over the boarding passes and invitation to use the lounge and tell us to go to the fast track security. We run with the boarding passes and passports but see no security signs in the direction she pointed us towards. Finally i ask a security officer where it is. He points us to an escalator going downwards where a sweet man who notices my stressed out expression soothes me and passes us through in seconds. Deepak who never drinks says, 'I need a drink today.'
Phew! Yes, Changi has spoiled me.
Three days back now and we have tackled the mounds of laundry of the trip, looked and re-looked at pictures of the wonderful holiday and eaten the much missed east asian food. Tomorrow Deepak returns to the office and I am contemplating how and where to start on my work.
I draw up a sort of schedule but the number of hours I want to work per week on the several things that call to me far exceed the number of hours I can work and still retain sanity. I guess i will find my balance during the week.
Our turn. She smiles and begins clicking on her keypad. A frown appears on her face and puzzled she asks, 'Did you fly in on the 20th on SQ?'
'Yes.'
'Did you change the ticket?'
'Only to upgrade.' Deepak replies.
'What's the problem?' I ask.
'There is a sequencing problem. The system shows you did not use the first ticket and so it's not allowing me to use the second,' she says clicking away on the keypad and talking to her colleagues in Italian. They smile amused. I love the way Italians seem to deal with things that don't go as they are supposed to. With unworried, knowing smiles.
'Did you really fly in on the 21st?' she asks again.
'Here we are.' Deepak says still smiling.
'Check the immigration stamp.' I reply.
She turns the pages to the visa page and looks up, 'Where is it?'
Shocked we look to see no stamp. I try to pull the passport out of her hand but she holds on. Deepak gently says, 'Can I look for it?'
She hands over the passport and he is shocked to see no stamp. Its his passport and he turns the pages but he's travelled so much that the pages are full of stamps and he can't find the stamp. Then he asks for my less stamped one and all three of us are relieved when he finds it.
She calls over the supervisor who seems to not be able to focus on one issue since many problems are coming up. She comes to us and wanders away. Finally when there are 40 mins left on the clock she comes over again and apologises. The supervisor does not have any success trying to resolve the issue either and calls the Milan SQ office. She informs us that the system shows we checked in at Singy but instead of it then showing flown it shows notification. We disappeared according to the system after check-in. 'We teleported,' I say, but without any hint of a smile.
Many minutes pass slowly. The supervisor shrugs helplessly when my husband asks if we will make the flight. Stress levels rising in him too now. 'Our visa expires today,' I say. Fantasies of being led away to some strange holding cell and classified as illegal come in.
'Did you call Singapore? Somebody is working on it in Singapore it seems,' the supervisor says to us looking perplexed. Finally they create a new ticket for us and hand over the boarding passes and invitation to use the lounge and tell us to go to the fast track security. We run with the boarding passes and passports but see no security signs in the direction she pointed us towards. Finally i ask a security officer where it is. He points us to an escalator going downwards where a sweet man who notices my stressed out expression soothes me and passes us through in seconds. Deepak who never drinks says, 'I need a drink today.'
Phew! Yes, Changi has spoiled me.
Three days back now and we have tackled the mounds of laundry of the trip, looked and re-looked at pictures of the wonderful holiday and eaten the much missed east asian food. Tomorrow Deepak returns to the office and I am contemplating how and where to start on my work.
I draw up a sort of schedule but the number of hours I want to work per week on the several things that call to me far exceed the number of hours I can work and still retain sanity. I guess i will find my balance during the week.
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