I've been asking friends what are their pet peeves while travelling. And I got this one interesting story from a friend named Anna who is a PR practitioner.
On one of your points about sitting with extra large people. I just wanted to tell you all a semi-funny yet super horrible experience I went through…Around two year ago I went to the States to visit my family. It was a restful week with my nieces and nephew, spending most of my day just relaxing watching a never ending string of Walt Disney videos.On my way home, I was quite excited to see my boyfriend (now hubby) and family, so the long lines in LAX didn't bother me at all. I was doing my last minute shopping at duty free, grabbed the last junk food I can get at the airport, then headed off to the gate. Yes Erwin (that's me she's referring to), I totally agree with your confusion… Why does everyone run to line up to get into the plane? I guess they think their seats might be taken? (Actually I do love it when they make a mistake in seating cause I make a little bit of a scene and viola! I'm upgraded!…EVIL…hehehe)Anyway, so I walk into the plane all happy and relaxed, but the closer I got to the seat, the more I felt uneasy…OMEN… I finally got to my row and in my shock I found… and I swear it…who was a 450 pounds white man sitting right next to my aisle seat. He was around six feet tall too…IN ECONOMY!!!!I didn't know what to do…I mean I'm pinay, I can't be rude, I was thinking "kawawa naman, big people have rights too no, if they can't afford to sit in business then what option would they have?" So with my Scholastican guilt, I just decided to sit myself down and take whatever that's coming in the trip. STUPID MISTAKE!
The trip was all of 14 hours, throughout these 14 hours I was sitting sideways with my left arm and shoulder blocking one forth of the aisle…needless to say when the carts started coming out, I got two bruises from getting bumped…but still the Scholastican guilt took over and all I did was sigh and let it go. But when all the meals were served and the cabin was now ready for bedtime, I found my most comfortable sideway position, take note, my shoulder, arm and half my head were blocking the aisle. I finally fell asleep (thank you Tylenol PM), until I started dreaming that I was in some kind of garbage facility…I was running as fast as I can from this facility trying to get away from a horrible stench, but I couldn't, the smell was so strong that I woke up…but in my shock, the smell was still there, now even STRONGER!
Then I realized what it was… the man beside me was shifting and turning in seat to get a good position (please imagine that we felt like turbulence was happening as he shifted), and as he shifted his bodily smells were expelled towards my direction!!! It was horrible… I felt like I was sitting beside the sewerage system of a Korean Restaurant! Again…Scholastican guilt… "Ana, don't say anything, kawawa naman…" But then it went on and on and on… until even the visions of being sent to hell by a German nun couldn't stop me… I stood up, grabbed my hand carry from the overhead, took out my cologne and started spraying the man from head to toe…I mean I don't know if it was the Tylenol, the air pressure or what, but I flipped… and when I was done, I just saw two glaring blue eyes coming from what seemed to be a monster staring me down. I wasn't quite sure what to do…But I figured, paninindigan ko to… So I sat myself down, sprayed myself one more time with my cologne and held the cologne throughout the trip. Every thirty of so minutes I'd spray myself and him (he was sleeping at this point) just to get me through the trip. Prior to landing, I took down my hand carry ready for the great escape. As soon as the seatbelt signs were off when we were in
Manila, I ran off as fast as I can to the doors and only saw him again in the baggage claim… by then most of my Catholic compassion was gone and I had to hold myself back from telling him that he should take more showers!So yes, I do agree that sitting with extra large people in flights is totally messed up!
Lesson: Always ALWAYS have the nerve (forget the catholic guilt) to go up to the flight attendant (purser preferably) to have your seat changed…AND ALWAYS bring a bottle of cologne or air freshener with you on the plane.
Hope this was amusing for y'all
ANA
