You know, Mom, you might want to consider switching up your routine, my older son said to me. That way, if someone doesn’t see you for a few days, they won’t think Rex died.
It’s not like I walk the exact same route at the exact same time every single day, but I do often enough that in the days following my return from Morocco, I was stopped no less than fifteen times while walking Rex to be told that my presence on the greenway was much missed. Some, but certainly not all, were people I know by sight and talk to regularly. One older couple said, frantically, Where WERE you, we were so WORRIED that something happened! They looked with wide-eyed significance at Rex, who was engaged in the serious business of Sniffing A Tree.
Well, it’s nice to be noticed, although as my sister-in-law’s boyfriend says Big black dog, big red hair, you’re hard to miss. In any case, it’s nice to be home, and the fall colours have been incredible.
People are very interesting and we never really know what’s going on in someone’s life, although we might think we do. We were the first zone to be called for boarding on our flight from Paris to Casablanca, but as soon as we all finished going through the check zone, we were stopped. All of us in zone 1 stood in the walkway for over thirty minutes, and although there was an announcement about it, I didn’t really understand. It was something to do with customs, which made a lot of sense after we finally boarded the plane. I settled in with my Kobo when I heard incessant screaming and yelling.
I don’t know about you, but an adult shrieking is not something I want to hear when I’m on a plane. I tried to see what was happening, and then thought maybe craning around in my seat wasn’t a smart idea, so I quietly shrank a little. What was happening, which the man next to my husband informed us, was that a person was being deported back to Morocco and that there was a large police presence on the back of the plane. The flight was delayed over an hour before the man was taken off the plane, still screaming. My husband’s seatmate, who is a Moroccan national but works in Algeria, necessitating long flights through Paris to get home, said that there is such an occurrence on almost every single such flight, which made me unbelievably sad on multiple levels.
Because of this, we were delayed getting into Casablanca, but it was nothing compared with the six Australians in our group who were delayed by DAYS and who just barely made it before our tour left the city. They were delayed in Rwanda, then stuck in Dubai, before finally making it to Morocco, and somehow 5 pieces of luggage made it there as well. The sixth, belonging to our new friend Greg, arrived five days later and the reunion was cause for much celebration in our group. He would track it daily with his Air Tags, letting us know that now, somehow, it’s in South Africa, and the like. This is why I never check luggage. I was incredibly stressed on Greg’s behalf, and I only just met him.
In any case, I was very happy to have the Australians join our group, which up to that moment consisted of another Australian, a couple from Ottawa who had defected from Romania in 1985 and who were absolutely fascinating, and a woman from New Zealand. The seven Australians and two Canadians were pure delight, but the woman from New Zealand was, to put it mildly, not.
As an example, Ms NZ made all eleven of us, plus two guides and a driver, wait for fifty minutes on the bus, and then, when she finally boarded, she did not apologize for being so late. This was at nearly six pm, after we had been on a walking tour since nine in the morning, and all we wanted to do was shower and eat. Not eighteen hours later, we were stopped by the police because she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt, which led to a prolonged, agonizingly heated discussion between our guide, the driver, and three armed policemen. I didn’t know we needed to wear seatbelts, Ms NZ said defensively, again not apologizing.
All of that could have been forgiven – we all make mistakes, although apologizing is a thing that people do in society – if she did not constantly complain. By the time the Australians joined us, I was already wondering how I could bear two weeks with this woman. She complained endlessly about our hotel: the elevator didn’t stop at her floor (it stopped at ours), the hair dryer didn’t work (it worked in our room), and the tea kettle needed a plug converter (we take a converter with us). I tried to feel compassion about these annoying little blips, but then she yelled at the desk staff that she wanted a cup of tea and she wanted it NOW, and if there is one thing I cannot abide, it is a person who is rude to service staff. After breakfast the next day she complained that no one brought her coffee, and since I had only known this woman for twelve hours at that point, I thought I was being helpful by pointing out that it was buffet-style, and one only needed to ask the man at the counter to prepare a cup of wonderful coffee. Maybe she didn’t know how it worked, I thought. All one needed to do was ask, and delicious coffee appeared. Why should I have to ask? she said to me. He’s walking around, he could just do his job.
Well. How does one respond to that, except to say You’re a cunt, which I did NOT do. Do we go into Starbucks and sit at a table, waiting for someone to bring us a Tazo chai with coconut milk? NO WE DO NOT. She also complained incessantly about garbage by the side of the road, including when we were on a walking tour in a village with a guide who lived in that village. People live here! Those people might not understand the words, but they definitely understand what you’re saying, and what you’re saying is RUDE and implies that they are living in a trash heap.
It got to the point where I wondered if our guide was starting to hate the sound of his own name, since Ms NZ would shrilly call it out every five minutes to ask another of her inane questions while the rest of us had twitching eyebrows. What are those trees, why are they all trimmed that way, who decided that it was the best way, why is it the best way to trim the trees…ad infinitum.
And I realize that had I not been, as they say, a donkey on the edge, I would have happily tuned all of this out. I would have cheerfully half-listened to our guide patiently talk about branch pruning in Morocco, but as it was, I wanted to murder her. Thank god for the Australians and the Romanian-Canadians! And was I sorry that she not only contracted the Traveller’s Tummy but also some kind of virus that caused her to sleep – on the bus, in a restaurant, in the accommodations – for almost forty-eight hours? No, I was not. I am a firm believer in karma, and we were all happy to have some blessed silence.
Weekly Reading
I have SO many books to tell you about, that I read while on buses and planes, but I think I will keep those for a separate post. For now, this is what I read this week – and wow, it was a good week!
Songs at the River’s Edge. I had such a craving to reread this book about a British social anthropologist who lives for eighteen months in a rural village in Bangladesh, circa 1987. It was a twenty-year journey for me to get this book at all, and the details of that are here. She details how she is accepted into the family and describes all the various customs, relationships, and social hierarchy within. There is relative prosperity and desperate poverty, and the stories are moving and beautiful, about the power of community and family, as well as the dire straits of the people who try to move away in search of a better life. The stories about women and their marital fate are fascinating and often very sad.
Motherness. I have known Julie Green, the author of Motherness, for over a decade; we used to work together at YMC. Truly, I didn’t know her well; her beat was “Buzz,” and she wrote several newsy and current events-related articles a day, while I wrote one recipe post a week. She lived in Toronto and I in Calgary, and once or twice a year I would fly out to see the whole team. I remember those parties very fondly, but I didn’t talk much to Julie. She was pretty quiet and, I assumed, shy. What I didn’t realize – and what she didn’t realize, either – is that she is autistic, and these parties, she writes, were a source of terror and anxiety for her, causing her many sleepless nights and to hide in the bathroom for most of the time. I had no idea. And this is the important part of this memoir, the idea of “masking” that autists do, particularly women. They get along to get along, so to speak, and the stress of the masking, Julie says, “comes at a cost to mental health and can lead to low self-esteem, stress, exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and even suicidality.” She goes on to say that autistic women are often misdiagnosed with depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, which makes me wonder how many women are walking around without appropriate help. Probably many. She is the mother of an autistic child, and she writes openly about the struggles and joys and the agony of trying to fit your child into a world that doesn’t fit them. It’s raw and vulnerable and very moving. Highly recommend this incredible memoir.
October has been such a strange month for me, what with travel and then birthday celebrations and then coming back to earth! I can hardly believe it’s the last week. I hope you are all, like Humpty Dumpty, having a great fall. xo
I guess it’s nice to be missed.
Watching that deportation in progress must have been upsetting.
That travel companion of yours sounds like piece of work.
Welcome home!
Steph, it was very upsetting. The level of agitation of that man was extremely sad and hard to see. And according to R’s seatmate, this happens all the time.
Omg that woman… WHY do people act like that? I mean wouldn’t you love to get into her mind and try to figure out what in the world she’s thinking? Why do people think the world revolves around them, and everyone else wants to hear their complaining??? I guess that’s a real risk of going with a tour group like this. Thank God everyone else was likable.
Both those books sound good- the first one didn’t really resonate with me until you mentioned the stories about women and their marital fate, which I agree is a fascinating subject.
I’m sure everyone missed Rex immensely while you were gone! Maybe next time you just need to tell everyone in advance that you won’t be there for a while so they don’t have to worry.
I do often wonder how people get to be the way they are. I should probably be more compassionate! But honestly, I have so little tolerance for rudeness and for constant complaints, particularly when the complaints implied something about the people who lived there. If you’re going to another country, you need to be able to be a good guest in that country!
OMG – Miss NZ!! There’s always one in a travel group who complains and keeps people waiting. But rudeness is unforgivable! Well, at least you got a wonderful blog post about it. I hope someone recognizes her here and sends her the link!
There is always one in every group! One of the Australians was a school principal and he said something similar, that there is always one. Well, I guess it could have been worse!
First of all, what a stunning red tree. Second, wow – that woman lived up to the expectations of us all waiting to hear about her. Why must some people be like that??
Anna, imagine being that way! Imagine that’s how she just goes about life. And she was not a young woman, so I am inclined to think she’s always been this way.
Oh my. Miss NZ was a real piece of work. What an awful person. I have very low tolerance for people who complain while traveling in particular. It can really ruin the experience for everyone else. And then add in her other behaviors and yikes – I would have lobbied to leave her behind when she was 50 minutes late. What a truly horrible person.
I love that you were missed by your greenway pals! How wonderful to be noticed! But I can see how you are memorable with your big smile and adorable companion!
I read another memoir by a woman who did not get diagnosed with autism until she was an adult but am blanking on the title… she did a guest post on Cup of Jo. I really appreciated her book. Have you heard the insane news here in the US about RFK, Jr blaming tylenol usage during pregnancy for the elevated levels of autism diagnosis. Perhaps you heard me screaming all the way in Canada when this news was released??
Oh my god, I did see that and really? WHAT NEXT.
I feel like I am generally a very tolerant person but constant complaints and rudeness to staff – no, that’s my line. DO NOT CROSS THAT LINE.
I feel both frustrated by that woman and so very sad for her. To get to go on an experience like that and have your energy avidly driving people away… whether she is aware or not, it can’t “feel” great. I’m also so sorry both that you had to witness the deportation and that it seems so commonplace. This world… To end brighter, how lovely is it that you and Rex are so memorable! You have this routine/path community that cares <3
I know, imagine what it would be like to be that way, to see only things to complain about and never apologizing? It must suck to be her.
Big black dog, big red hair — title of your memoir, Nicole!
OMG Ms. NZ sounds like a trial of Hercules. What a terrible person to be around. What a terrible person to BE. How is it sustainable to be so miserable and nasty all the time? I do not understand! I get not wanting to be a door mat or whatever, but also life can be more pleasant if YOU ARE MORE PLEASANT. Goodness.
I love that tree, Nicole. Gorgeous.
Now I know that you love red trees, I think about you every time I see one – which is often! So if you feel a Care Bear Stare coming around 7am my time…well, that’s what is going on.
Life can be so much more pleasant if you are pleasant indeed!!! You get what you give!
You’ve got such lovely, caring dog-walking neighbours! Maybe it’s time for a local group chat, a quick “Rex and I are alive and sniffing different trees today” to save everyone from mild panic.
And thank you for the deliciously juicy Ms NZ update – I do love a good human-relations trainwreck story! You handled her with far more grace than I ever could. Rude to staff is my hard line too, and karma clearly agreed with that extended nap!
I always wonder how people like that function in daily life…how do they get on with their colleagues and neighbours? Does everyone around them just live in a state of constant exasperation?
Catrina, I wondered this myself! How does such a person function in the world? Because surely they aren’t like that only when travelling. I can only think that she would be complaining and not apologizing in her regular life too.
Woof Ms NZ! I don’t know how someone gets through life believing that they are the center of the universe, but I know that it happens.
I’m adding Motherness to the TBR.
The best part about travel is coming home to a routine. I love every mundane detail of our dog walks.
Yes, you know what’s up! I love to travel and then I love to come home, and I feel like we are on the same page.
If you read Motherness let me know! I thought it was amazing. So well written and so moving!
Ms. NZ is exactly why I don’t like to go on tours when I vacation. I believe I wrote about my own version of her (Milly) from the one & only tour I ever took-in Italy.
Luckily for me, the tour itself and the rest of the people far outweighed the Ms NZ! I will have to go dive into your Milly post! But isn’t it strange that some people can be so awful while travelling?
I don’t get people like NZ, especially on a trip like that. There’s so much beauty, so much to take in, and she can see are problems. It’s sad.
The deportation thing- oh my goodness. Heartbreaking.
I love that beautiful red tree- it reminds me of our Japanese maples in the backyard. This is my favorite time of tree-year. 🍂
It’s such a beautiful time of year, I almost cannot believe it! Every day is so gorgeous.
Isn’t it sad that someone has to be that way? Morocco is such an incredible country, and to be so put off by something as silly as a non-working hair dryer! Or to be mad that you have to ASK for coffee. I mean. Who does that?
RIGHT?? Bigger picture.
It’s nice to be missed! WOW! But sad that they thought something happened to Rex 🙁
I have watched so many TikTok’s in which police board a plane to remove a mentally deranged, irate person. But the worst is when they make every passenger deboard the plane so that they can deal with the person. I would be BEYOND angry and am fearful that I would become violent myself! It infuriates me that all those innocent people have to be punished and delayed because of the acts of one person.
Oh boy, that NZ woman was something else! Interesting that the bus did not leave without her when she was 50 minutes late. How long would they have waited for her? Friends of ours just returned from a river cruise in Europe and they were told that the ship waited for no one (and this is when they went on cruise sanctioned side trips) and that if they missed the boat, they would have to pay for the car that took them to the next port. Funny thing was, they almost missed the ship because of 50 goats blocking the road when they were riding e-bikes through the countryside. Anyhoo, I would have lost my mind with NZ woman and I imagine all of you looking at each other and rolling your eyes every time she opened her mouth.
Bijoux, it was a private bus just for our tour, so I don’t think that they really COULD leave – although I don’t really know the ins and outs of the rules. I am a very tolerant person but I can never get over when people are rude to service staff – it makes me think differently about a person no matter how long I’ve known them!
Oh!!! The red tree! I had to stop and revere it for several minutes.
That woman on your trip sounds terrible. And thank you for writing about her! I’ve been so curious about what the bad egg in the group had done! If I’m being totally honest, I was relieved that she was from NZ and not the US. We have such a bad reputation.
It’s so sweet that a bunch of walkers noticed your absense and were concerned about you! It’s nice to live in a community like that.
The red tree makes me stop and revere it too!
Michelle, it’s funny, we didn’t meet anyone from the US at all until our very last day, when my husband and I were waiting for our car to take us to the airport in Marrakesh. And this group was talking about how they were eating at KFC, Burger King, and McDonalds in Marrakech, and where all those were located. All I could think of is that it was like they were TRYING to act out a silly stereotype!
OMG, Ms. NZ sounds like a terror, and this my friend is why I don’t book two-week tours. Just kidding, but really, to have to spend two weeks with someone like that would probably have done me in. You are, once again, much kinder than me, and more patient. Did anyone ever say anything to her and/or did she calm down AT ALL by the end of the journey?
I have been on three-day tours where there was one black sheep and that was bad enough, and I always wonder why these people book group tours when clearly they are not enjoying them!
Oh, I have no regrets at all about the tour, and in fact we have two more tours coming up in the next eight months or so! The benefits of the tour far, far outweighed the one person, for me. The other people were so wonderful! And the travel was so lovely and well-organized. Some people were starting to make pointed remarks to her but she was pretty lacking in self-awareness.
Well. How does one respond to that, except to say You’re a cunt, which I did NOT do. OH MY GOD I AM DYING.
Hahaha I have my limits!
I would miss you if I saw you every day. Then again, those people get to see you every day, so fuck them (not really).
GAAAAAAHHH Miss NZ. Did everyone else on the tour keep exchanging incredulous looks? I am so hysterically self-conscious in everything I do that I literally cannot fathom people who don’t seem to hear themselves.
The anthropology book makes me think of a course I took in grad school and one of the girls emailed me about something else and was talking about all the new philosophies around anthropology and not bringing a white people lens to everything and ethnocentrism and she said “I miss the day when you could just go live with the natives and write about them”.
Yes, we did exchange incredulous looks and it got to the point where some others on the group were starting to say very pointed things to her. It’s so odd to see someone so completely lacking in awareness.
Awwwww! Imagine if we did get to see each other every day! How wonderful that would be!
We have a neighbor who is spending her retirement going on cruises. This year she was gone for 4 months and circumnavigated the world. She has no children or husband or pets, and instead of buying a new car (she drives a 2003, even older than my 2005) or updating her townhome, she travels. Mostly she LOVES it. She gets to know the staff. She plans the timing of her trips in conjunction with other regulars, as they have become friends over the years. She loves that she sees a lot and doesn’t have to unpack at all. I do remember once, however, when she came home angry and sure she was never going to go again, and it was because of a big group of Miss NZ types on the cruise. I mean, you spend so much money to get to go on a trip like this, and then there are people who are trying to make a living, and you get THIS? Not cool, Miss NZ and her ILK!
I had the opposite experience with Mulder…he didn’t really look sick, so when he was suddenly gone, people on my regular walks would cheerfully ask, “where’s your dog?” Assuming he was at the groomers I suppose. I will never ask anyone that question now, because it broke me every time. On the other hand, I did get a good hug and conversation out of it once.
I am not a cruise person myself but I really admire when people know what they want in travel and then do it! So I think that’s wonderful for your neighbour. But also – YES. Who are these people who spend many thousands of dollars and then are just the worst??
J, I had the opposite thing with Barkley – he was very visually ill and I had people ask me “what’s wrong with your dog?” so many times that our daily walks were totally traumatic for me. Again, who are these people???
Having been on a cruise, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I will agree that I’m not really into that vibe. In your small group, having one bad egg was horrible. I shudder to think of how bad it had to be for my neighbor when she was on a cruise ship! I mean, SO MANY PEOPLE.
Poor Barkley. I guess people just spit out words as they pop into their heads, right? They see a sick dog and they want to show they care? I don’t know. Loving a sick dog is so stressful, and truly the best thing we can do for them is to love them and try to keep their life normal and happy. Sigh. <3 I came to your blog after the Berkley era, but I love seeing his picture and looking at old posts. I am not sure we are going to ever get my husband on board for another dog, but if we do, said dog may be named Barleigh (pronounced Barley) Or perhaps Mommy. Or Next Door Neighbor. These are my favorite names right now.
Hahaha those are great names!
Loving a sick dog is very hard, watching the decline is one of the saddest things that I have ever had to do. Every day, I had to assess how he was doing. You know what it’s like, I know.
When you were telling about the annoying complaining guest, for a second I thought you were on the same trip as my friend’s sister. My friend was reporting back from her sister who was travelling with their cousin – the cousin is extremely entitled and complained about everything. Friend’s sister was quite embarrassed and basically said no one in the group could stand cousin. Honestly the stories were so similar, but them I remembered they were in S. Africa. I guess that there are a few people in this world with those annoying personalities!
Oh goodness, imagine being RELATED TO and travelling with such a person! Ugh!!!
I DO wonder about people I encounter regularly. Like the skinny Santa Claus look-alike that I usually encounter on my walk – he’s been missing for the past couple of days.
That annoying, complaining lady would have gotten on my last nerve; to the point that I don’t know if I could have bitten my tongue – despite being confrontation averse.
Oooh a Santa Claus lookalike! Hope he’s okay!
A woman was cranky to a fellow worker. His response was I am sorry, Ithought a woman of your years would be done with her monthlies. I cracked up and actually so did she. I would recommend just saying it in your head.
Glenn!!! Lol! Definitely an “inside” response!
What can you say to people like Ms. NZ? Nothing because they aren’t going to change and anything you say goes over their head. It’s not worth the headache to yourself. Although I laughed at your response that you kept to yourself 🙂 I’m glad you didn’t let her ruin your trip despite her best efforts!
How lovely to come home to a community of walkers on your regular route concerned about you not being there. Life is full of good people!
Hahaha it was a thought that popped into my head again and again, Jacqui! Meh, you’re right, you can’t let a person like that ruin things for you – she’s already ruining things for herself after all!
Sounds like travelling with a small child!
Hahaha you’re not wrong!
My dad took our whole family on a trip to the Kimberleys (the 20 of us booked out the whole trip). The guide confided with us that she was unsure how it would be going into the trip, but that it had been so easy because she didn’t have to deal with any inter-personal stuff between guests. Obviously, as a family, we could deal with that ourselves. There was one night when there was another tour group staying in the camp, and we teamed up with them for the helicopter rides, and there was a Ms NZ in that group. We were very glad that we only had to spend one night in her company. Our guide said there is usually at least one on every trip. Why would you be deliberately miserable when travelling—just stay home!
That’s what I think too, Melissa! I felt bad for our guides but it just rolled off them, so I guess they are all used to having “that one” in every trip. But I agree – if travel’s not for you, then stay home. The strange thing is that this woman was very well-travelled – she had been to many places – and I just imagined her complaining about all of them.
I actually don’t like the fact that this comment of mine has exceeded 450 words. But, when you wrote “We never really know what’s going on in someone’s life”, Ms. Nicole MacPherson, I wonder if it is the case that not everyone really wants someone else to know every nook and cranny about what’s going on in his/her life. That he/she would rather keep some of that as his/her privacy.
I consider you being stopped no less than fifteen times while walking Rex to be told that your presence on the greenway was much missed to be quite the unexpected gift from your neighbors.
I’ve never had the experience of flying internationally with an adult who shriek the whole time for being deported back to his/her country of origin, so, I think that in order for me to comprehend what that experience is like, I’ll need to ask the staff members of the airline that serves me the next time I fly internationally if they recall any such instances. For your reference, there are only 2 types of international flights that I’ve done so far: Between China and Canada, and between China and Europe.
Likewise, I’ve never had the experience of being in a tour destination with someone who complains to the extent that he/she asks his/her inane questions every five minutes. If I am to figure out what that experience is like, I’m going to ask the tour guide the next time I’m with a tour guide if he/she has seen someone like that before. It is rare for me to travel just for tourism purposes, though, so it could take a while before the next time I’m with a tour guide. That said, I do think that the conduct of this person from New Zealand is going to put her whole country at risk in the sense that someone who got to meet her is going to therefore conclude that “New Zealanders are just…” and then fill in the blank with the characteristics of that specific aforementioned New Zealander. Of course, you and I always make sure that we will not draw conclusions about a whole country that way, Ms. Nicole MacPherson. But I feel that someone will.
That being said, as I’m reading on, I thought that you had a plot twist where you finally understood what happened in the past to this person from New Zealand that made her behave this way, Ms. Nicole MacPherson. Of course, when it comes to telling real-life stories, if there are no plot twists, I would not want you to make something up, either.
I predict, despite the autistic conditions that Ms. Julie Green, the author of Motherness, needs to deal with, that the next time you come to meet her, she’ll still be pleased to see you on a one-on-one basis, Ms. Nicole MacPherson.
Hi Yukon, thanks so much for this comment! You’re right – there was no plot twist – I never did find out what was going on in Ms NZ’s life. That would have made for a great story, alas, it was not to be.
I do agree that, whether we want to or not, we are “representing” our home countries when we travel, so it would be good to leave people with a nice impression!
The deportation was very upsetting, and, like I said, I have no way of knowing what was going on with that person, but I hope they are okay. Thanks again for this nice comment!
I’m taking a trip to Morocco with Intrepid in December so I’m hanging onto every mention you make with bated breath. But now I’m dreading worrying about who will be the problem in my group. Wait! Maybe I should be the problem. If I am the problem traveler no one else can be, right? The only issue with that is that it sounds so unpleasant to be complaining all the time and have everyone in the group low key hating me when it would be easier to just have a great time on the trip I spent months looking forward to. I’m sure there will be little things here and there that genuinely will annoy me but overall I expect to have a terrific trip.
Hahaha this made me laugh so much! “Maybe I should be the problem.” Lol!!! I hope you have the most wonderful trip and maybe you’ll have the unicorn group that DOESN’T have a problem person. I mean, there must be a group that has two problem people, so the law of averages means that it could happen!
Me, laugning at the Humpty Dumpty reference! 🤣
I recall a tussle on our flight from MIA to Barcelona with three women against the Flight Staff over their seats. They weren’t happy to be separated, which was exactly what they had purchased. They got off the plane, got back on, threatened to get off again, then were told to LEAVE the aircraft. Stop holding up other people for your own issue.
I’m surprised that someone who was being deported back to their own country was allowed to deplane. I’m sure there is more to the story, that we won’t ever find out.
The NZ lady sounds absolutely miserable. No wonder she was traveling alone; who would enjoy her company?
I love that you and Rex were missed!!
I’m sure there was a lot to that story, but suffice to say it was very sad and upsetting. Now on the other hand, you know what’s NOT sad and upsetting? Three people who book seats and then aren’t happy with the seats they have! Get over it, sheesh, just be happy you’re going to Barcelona! I have seen people get upset because OTHER PEOPLE won’t switch seats with them. The other people, who paid for their seats, and they don’t want to switch. Ahhhh that kind of thing drives me crazy! I hope you weren’t too delayed because of that.
I laughed out loud at your descriptions of Ms.NZ. I have been on some group tours and yep, you have bad apples that just would not shut up. I remember in Peru we had Alla (actually a Russian woman), and she asked so many questions… we were exhausted lol
Apart from Ms NZ seems like you overall had a great time.
The endless questions! I mean, yes, of course we should be interested in our tour and feel free to ask questions…but CONSTANT QUESTIONS? It’s the complaining that does me in though!
It’s so awful that one of the first reactions I had was–like Michelle–“At least she’s not from the US!” I was actually grateful that Ms NZ wasn’t perpetuating the (almost not anymore) stereotype of The Ugly American in her travels. Especially these days, it’s a relief when a lousy human being turns out to be from somewhere else.
But what a horrid bitch she is. The coffee thing especially got me. Entitlement is a trait that irks me every single time. When that shows up, I immediately know everything I need to know about that person.
Nance, the coffee thing REALLY tipped me over the edge. I thought, okay, well, yes it is annoying when things don’t work…but then the thing about the coffee. I just sat slack-jawed when she said “Why should *I* have to ask?” I mean. How is that a question??? Entitlement also gets me.
I would not have kept silent as you did with that NZ, i would have tried to put her into place, when people of means treat service people disrespectfully, i can’t stand. Good that you could manage to tolerate her and appreciate other group mates.
If I wasn’t going to be stuck with her for two weeks, I might have been sharper with her. As it was, I just tried to compensate by being extra nice to all the staff – and it seemed like all the other group mates were doing that as well.
Oh my, I think I don’t hate anything more than rude, entitled tourists that travel to foreign countries only to criticize and be rude to the locals, not to forget annoying their travel buddies. I am so sorry you had to experience this person. And , I probably would have said something at some point.
It’s so rude! Like, if you don’t like how they do things in a different country, maybe stay home!
I am so annoyed on your behalf with that woman! I get really irritated when I’m around people like that, who just won’t be happy no matter what. At least karma got her at some point. Ugh.
I haven’t been to my regular gym classes in over a month now (between the trip and now all my back/hip pain) and I’m wondering if people are like, “Is she ok???” Haha. I’m hoping to start my triumphant return next week.
That red tree is ALL OF MY FALL DREAMS REALIZED AHHHH.
Stephany, you said it: some people are just never happy no matter what happens.
I am SURE people are wondering where you are! I was always like that when a student wasn’t at yoga, whether I was teaching the class or practicing.
Why? Why are people like that? What on earth must life be like for someone who is just so…negative? And nasty? (So many questions! Sorry! :))
I just can’t fathom it. I’m in awe of your ability to keep your counsel. You are a better woman than I.
My heart is breaking for the person screaming on the plane. 🙁
I know, it was so sad.
I don’t know how some people can be like that!