Unpacking at the Airport

On my way out, the day was February 11th 2011, I was made to unpack and repack my single luggage into a two-bag luggage at the airport in Lagos.

What was my crime? My single bag weighed more than the maximum requirement and I needed to divide the bag into two. That meant, buying a miserable Ghana-must-go bag for three times the price. Don’t ask about the consternation I caused arriving at Brussels National Airport with luggage among which is a Ghana-must-go bag.

But I am more concerned about the return trip!

With so many good things to take home and so many expectants hands back home expectant of these goodies, I could not help having bags that exceeded the maximum weight I am allowed. Choosing what to and what not to take was not an easy one. Eventually after a three-day packing, unpacking, and re-packing experiment, I arrived at a four-item instead of the three-item luggage the airline allows. I was ready to bluff my way through and get my luggage back home, somehow!

It was not to be. I had to look at the faces of the two attendants at the check-in counter. There was a long haired guy and a lady both of which did not hurriedly disclose their disposition as we stood on the queue awaiting our turn. However, I decided to go for the long-haired guy, and that turned out to be a good choice because the lady at the other counter was stone-facedly attending to a lady who was encountering the same excess luggage problems I was to face.

“I am afraid your luggage is over weight,” cried the long-haired attendant, good-naturedly. “You will have to pay, and it is 50 Euros per bag.”

Hearing the bad news I had expected, made me feel like a fool already. The long haired one then advised me that paying 100 Euros for the bags would be an unnecessary waste of money. Then came the suggestion that I should overload one bag and then reduce the other so that I will pay for one bag excess rather than two. That way, I will only be charged 50 Euros.

Good idea! I didn't have to buy any Ghana-must-go bag here. That is very irrelevant compared to the demeaning act of having to unpack my bags at the airport. But being left with no choice at all, I set to work immediately. It is a good thing also that DT and I made it to the airport as early as we could. I wish I can also say that we made it to the airport as cheaply as we can.

To my mind, we had the most expensive ride from Liege to Brussels National Airport because in trying to get off the train as fast as we can at the Brussels Central Station, we forgot to take DT's 60 Euros multiple trip train ticket. That was not funny at all because I felt that it wouldn't have happened if I didn't have so many bags that she was helping me take care of. But the deed has been done. She said, "I have just succeeded in making someone else very happy." And I add, sadly: "While making us very unhappy!"

Don't ask; you know what I'm doing
So we set to work; unpacking the carefully packed bags that refused to be lighter until a good number of important stuff has been removed from them.

Another black guy joined me. His bags needed to be reduced also. And I ask, is there something true about black guys carrying more luggage than they need? Or is it just that we don't like paying for the extra load?

Your guess is as good as mine. I am home. Arrived safely after our good friend made us pay the mandatory 50 Euros for the bag that refused to take the tag: "Excess Baggage."

That's what the counter where we paid read and DT remarked that it is not a very pleasant designation. Yet, my bag refused to shirk off that tag and made us pay 50 Euros for it! I have just learnt one lesson: "Mind what you are taking, bro!"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"My Husband washes my Undies"

My country is indeed an interesting place! I read with consternation as a couple of women reportedly emerged on social media to announce to the world what their spouses do and whatnots. I believe the whole noise came off one of the events on the ongoing BBNaija show where one of the contestants reportedly washed the pants of his love interest. And the dying-to-be-distracted throng of Nigerian youths started another session of tantrum throwing on the internet over whether Neo (so is his name) should have or have not washed Vee's (I hope am correct) panties. And the stuff even made it to  Premium Times  and BBC .  So much noise about nothing, if you ask me! This is not the first time this is happening. In a previous season of BBNaija, another housemate sparked controversies for washing the undies of his love interest. A lot of internet perfectionists came out with condemnations or adulations. Others came with nothing. I call it the dying-to-be-distracted throng. The mass of Nero'
Read more

Why Guys Don't Propose Fast Enough

Image
http://www.reception-wedding.com/wedding_rings.htm I have been refusing to blog on this for a long time for fear of being misunderstood. But the barrage of complaints for a number of affected friends has not abated. Let me use this story to buttress my point. Please note that the names have been changed not to point at any individual living or dead. Adaku has always been a reserved girl. Right through Secondary School and her early university days, she kept away from associating with certain kind of friends especially girls who do not think like she does and guys. Her upbringing has been under the strict and conservative instructions of her parents. But in the university she meets Haruna, a handsome, intelligent and promising young man who was a year ahead of her in the University. One thing leads to another and before long, they were dating steadily. Their relationship continued from her 3rd year in the university till seven years afterwards. Now, Adaku isn't very sure
Read more

Learning Deutsch

The first time we arrived purposely to learn German, we were so enthusiastic. For me, I haven't really sat down to learn a new language, perhaps because there are no formalised institutions for learning Nigerian languages as in Germany. And that strikes me as odd! No one seems to have discovered that we could actually create formalised outlets for learning some, if not all, of our 250 languages. If that had existed, I could have spent time learning good Hausa formally in the six years that I spent teaching in Gombe.  But again, there is yet another snag: why would one pay, sometimes heavily, to learn a language that perhaps has little or no global presence? People have been learning German, French, Spanish and Portuguese, and they are now learning Chinese even in Europe. Why? The people who own those languages have some value or so they think, that those who are learning their language want. Take a look at English language. Even with Brexit, a lot of European nations are still sc
Read more