A brief interlude about flying with a terrible airline, Ryan Air

In case you forgot, allow me refresh your memory about our condition at the end of my last post.

"At this point, we were completely exhausted. In fact, Vicky was sick. We were really hoping Barcelona would be relaxing so we could both recover. And it was. Getting there, however, was another matter."

The reason for this ominous warning was Ryan Air.  This is what I wrote about it right after the incident happened.

Wow was that ever a mess! We just had a preflight to make us swear off ever taking Ryan Air again.  We caught the bus way out to an airport that's basically a Ryan Air only airport. It took about an hour and forty five minutes to get there. But we left early so we arrived with an hour twenty to spare. It was barely enough. 

Because we're not EU citizens, we had to go to the check-in counter even though we checked in online. The line was moving horrifically slowly because of Ryan air's cabin bag rules. You get 1 bag, not a bag and a personal item. Everything must go in one bag.  It must weigh less than 10kg. It must fit in those tiny bins every airline has that nothing fits in. 

So the desk clerk was rejecting bags and forcing people to pay big fees to check bags and it was making the line crawl. We waited in line until the desk was supposed to close in 10 minutes. The line behind us alone would have taken another 90 minutes at that rate. And we knew our bags were a little too big and heavy (11kg instead of 10), and we were bracing for the huge fee to check the bags and the possibility of us missing our flight while trying to get it done. We were resigned to paying the fees if we had to.

Around then they opened a new line. Hoping the desk clerk wouldn't be such a slow prick, we changed lines. Finally they approved our passports and sent us to security.  Yay.  We had saved $150 and wouldn't miss our flight.

Except security was run by them too. By now we thought the flight had been boarding for 40 minutes and was about to leave. So we were semi-panicking. Security didn't help. 

They were slowly checking tickets and making people check their bag size and weight again. Vicky's bag mostly fit in their tiny bin and we told them mine was the same size. But they wanted us to weigh them. As we expected, hers was 11kg and mine 12kg. The security guy then tried to tell us to go check out bags which set Vicky off. She told him we've flown with these all over Europe with Ryan air with no problem and we'd miss our flight if we had to check them.  He told us, so you'll miss your flight over 1 or 2 kilograms.  That didn't help. Finally after more yelling by Vicky, he let us go while telling us if we are nicer, he will like us and let us through no problem. Much skepticism. 

The actual security part was the only easy thing about this experience. Just a normal security check. 

When we got through all this, hoping the plane hadn't left, we found that no one had boarded and the plane was late. But of course they didn't announce it. So we found ourselves waiting at the end of a huge line to board (no assigned seats, remember).

Finally about half an hour, we finally got through the last check and boarded.  We've flown with Ryan air twice on this trip and arrived over an hour late once and were harassed the other. Also the no assigned seats is incredibly annoying. It produces lines to board over an hour before the flight. 

Our problem was less with the money it would have cost to check our bags (though $150 isn't small change) and more with the attitude of the workers and the incompetence of the company.  Forcing non-EU citizens to get their passports reviewed at checkin even when you checkin online is idiotic since no other airlines require this.  Having only 1 line for a flight is insane (doubly so when you factor in the mandatory passport checks).  Weighing and checking every bag in that line, right down to purses, just guarantees that the line doesn't move.  That combined with a completely dismissive attitude towards the passengers ensures that angry people won't be in short supply.  I know it's all in the name of trying to save money but that isn't an excuse.

In short, we shall do everything in our power never to fly with them again! 

When work is viewed as play. The problem people who work abroad face when they return home.

For those looking for travel updates, you'll have to wait a week or so.  This one is longer than normal and examines the effects of working abroad on your future work potential when the traveler returns home.

There are many things I love about living abroad.  First and foremost, I love how it makes a challenge of everyday life.  Buying milk, yep.  Ordering in a restaurant, check.  Trying to get anywhere you can't walk to, definitely.  When the simplest tasks can stretch your imagination, improvisation, and miming skills, every day is interesting (can you mime your pizza order?  I now can).  Every time I'm back in the US, everything is so .... easy.  Frankly, it's boring.

I also miss the unexpected, like going to the sauna and ending up in a conversation with an older gentleman while naked in a hottub (this happened last week).  And of course, I hate to lose the easy travel.  Vacations to the Philippines aren't exactly simple when you live in Texas.  So obviously, there's a lot to like about working abroad.

However, many people see traveling and teaching abroad as a lazy slacker's way to avoid responsibility and a "real job".  They think people who do it lay around on a beach all day, living out a Peter Pan complex.  And for a few people I've met, that's accurate.  I'm not one of those people.

This leads to my one concern with working abroad.  Namely that doing this will hurt me when I decide to return to the US and look for a job.  It shouldn't.  My time abroad has helped me develop some very useful skills that will help me in every job I do.  One of the first that comes to mind is adaptability.  After 3 years abroad, I can deal with any problem, change, or situation without batting an eye.  Almost nothing phases me anymore.

Going hand in hand with adaptability is comfort with uncertainty.  People prefer certainty in most aspects of their lives, i.e. they prefer a steady income over a fluctuating one.  Uncertainty makes people worry.  When you work abroad though, uncertainty is a constant.  One you quickly become comfortable with.  Instead of worrying, you prepare for what might happen.

Another advantage is cultural awareness and sensitivity.  Working abroad teaches you how to work with a variety of people, even when communication isn't clear.  It helps you respect and learn from the views of others and often to adopt their way of doing things when they are superior to your own.  It makes you more open-minded to options and opinions other than your own.

Along with that open mind discussed above, comes a willingness to question things most people take for granted.   Some basic examples include why the US doesn't use the metric system or why ethics, manners and personal finance aren't taught in middle and high school as they are many places.  Or an even simpler one.  Why is it considered rude to verbally call a waiter over when we want something?  We expect them to read our minds and just know when we need food or drinks in a restaurant.  In Korea or Vietnam when you want something, you loudly call "over here" and a server comes right over.  It works so much better!  But most people wouldn't even think to question things like this because "that's just the way we do it".  In short, living abroad teaches you to think outside the proverbial box.

Even if potential employers accept these skills, they will often say, "You're several years removed from your degree.  You've been away from your field of study.  Your degree was worth more when you first graduated."  I couldn't disagree more.

What does an undergraduate degree prove?  It proves you're smart enough to graduate.  That you're dedicated enough to finish what you start.  What about a Master's degree?  It proves you can analyze a situation at least reasonably effectively.  That you can actually come up with solutions on your own, instead of just being told what to do and how to do it.  Unless you're in a highly specialized field like engineering or accounting, degrees don't impart knowledge specifically useful to a job so much as they impart a way of thinking and solving problems.  Almost all jobs will teach you what you need to know.  Give me an intelligent, hard-working person and I can teach them to do almost any job.  If the person is willing to be humble, learn, and work hard, the time since they graduated shouldn't be an issue for a company with even a half-decent training or mentoring program.

I write about all this, of course, because it personally affects me.  I love my life and I don't regret the choices that led me here for a moment.  The experiences I've had have shaped me into the man I am and provided a lifetime of wonderful memories.  However, I do worry that others may not understand and it might hurt me later.  So for now, I'll apply what I wrote about the above and prepare as much as possible for the uncertainty that will come when I decide to return to the US for good.  When I do, I'll pray that I find an employer that recognizes the value of my experience here.

However, that's enough somber reflection on this subject for now.  Now it's time to focus on the present and the amazing trip with Vicky that fills my very immediate future.  See you on the road!