Flight from Frankfurt to Newark Airport

It's been 3 years but some things, like your first and only trip abroad, have a way of staying fresh in memory.
On my trip to newark I was much more comfortable - having succesfully sprayed myself
freely, at a duty-free mall at Terminal B-25, with Hugo BOSS and all other international brands
available there. I was smelling divine to myself and had rid myself completely of all tell-tale signs of a cramped seven hours on the flight from Mumbai to Frankfurt. I was also very awed
by the really smart fashionable dresses, headgear and stilletoes I had seen on women at the airport. They seemed to have just stepped out of the HBO movies I watch on cable.
Fortunately, a lady was sitting next to me and I was sitting next to the aisle and a seat away from the window. Having a lady next to me, I decide it was quite safe to experiment on something I had been wanting to do since long. So the next time the stewardess, rolled the tray nearer, instead of the usual apple juice I nodded when she said gin:). Now I had read that gin was quite ok and something that women used to go in for. The stewardess then asked me - "What will you have with that? " I had no clue!. She prompted -"ice?" - Nod again.
So finally I had my "Gin and ice" in a cool little glass next to me:) . The minute I tasted it - I regretted not having read up a little on the taste of gin. Awful is a euphemism. But I was not the one to hold back. I am going to finish this pint/peg or whatever the measure was- no matter what! Sreeja- you are going to drink and know it. So I proceeded to sip the extremely bitter and nascent drink(as I felt it then). They were showing a good movie on TV which helped me out a good deal:) After sometime I realized something. I was smiling. And there was no way I could stop myself. I don't know when it came on me but I was smiling all round.
I could judge how wide and pleasant my smile was by the puzzled/horrified expression of a trio of Bengali guys sitting in the next row. It was like my facial muscles just refused to unrelax!
And smiles to all my fellow passengers. Then the food came. I was having Veg- Asian food which was served before the regular non-veg fare in the flight.
Now, what happened was that with this new lightness of being which I was experiencing came enhanced concern for my co-passenger. I turned to her and said " But why has your food not come?" She explained the reason quite patiently. Then I went back to my food plate.
Somehow opening the silver foil on the dishes had become a very complicated task and mind-body coordination seemed to be a big issue there. So I took a break from the task and turned to my seat companion. " You must be hungry no! But why they have not served you?" I saw a smile beginning to form on her face. "It's coming" - she said. "They bring it after the "Asian-Veg food. " Satisfied I went back to the task of opening te various packets in my plate. My hands had an irritating way of coming in each other's way and toppling things. The distance from the soup bowl to my mouth was very precariously traversed by a crazy, fidgety spoon in my unusually steady hands.
After a few sips it suddenly struck me that my neighbour had not received her food -plate. Concerned, I turned to her. "You are not feeling hungry? You did not order? Why they have not got your food?" .
Many smiles later with a plate-that looked like there was more food on it, than what was originally served I landed in Newark. After the flight, I realized that I was lucky to have a very patient co-passenger.

Posting from my first and Only trip abroad!

I chanced upon this while looking for a notebook and I saw these entries in my notebook which I had temporarily converted into a diary on my trip to the US more than three years ago:
8th November 2003
So! This is my first flight out of the country. I knew this would happen. All in good time eh!But I never fretted much about it. Just that little push that was definitely required! And how has it been till now? I have already crossed into the DAY OF THE FLIGHT. 8-Nov-2003- Morning 1:20 am approx. Getting the boarding pass was faiirly easy. I made Benny pay 50 bucks just to get inside that tiny enclosure! Then in the queue for BP I made friends with a girl-I think her name is Apar-not quite sure-she's from Manipur-currently in Mumbai-Going for a job in the SHIP! Wonder how that will be? Then I exchanged some of my money made it into foreign currency! 1000 -no 900 bucks = 17$. If I had 10Rs more... Yay! Made it to Frankfurt. The journey was fabulous especially since the french couple (I think) who were troubling me were finally shown that they were in the wrong queueand had to move to another one from where they could no longer shovel or pummel me! I met Aphang again at the security check and also met with anotherguy who is supposed to be joining the same STAR Cruise as her. Anyway after thesecurity check the plane is boarding was called out at nearly 3:25 am. My seat44K, Zone 2 - whatever that means. I was sitting next to an old guy and a slightly older guy. First hour spent in waiting forplane to take off.The plane finally took off at 4:25 am.I took another hour to figure out things as they were and just raise myself from the daze of being on a flight out of my own country leaving my very own husbandand family behind.Somehow I just wanted to go back to my own bed and go to sleep.

10th Nov 2003I have been so overwhelmed that i haven't written since leaving Frankfurt.Actually BEFORE leaving Frankfurt. Now! what did I actually do there? First I looked at the counter where everyone fromflight 757(well-not every one) was queuing up(maybe not anyone from flight 757) but definetly people were queued up.Then I saw Aphang - she was with her friends. i asked her what the queue was for-she told me she didn't knoe-so she was standing kinda out of it. She told meshe was nearly puking. I wasn't! Well then I went to an empty counter. The girlthere immediately got to know I was a (Bindu in wonderland).Neway I simply askedher-what next? after showing her the ticket. She said - your gate number is B25This is B26- so go upstairs by the elevator t's to the left.-after that...Ifollowed her word to word! Well I nearly tripped on the elevator you know-what with the fancy shoes and me feeling like a fuzzy bag. Yahoo! I can read directionsI reached B26 w/o any help other than my own sensory organs(actually i did needa wee bit of help but I figured it out before I saw the security walli vigorouslynodding her head at me. I was heading for the place where the security officials are supposed to go! ) So anyway i went to the passenger entrance to B26 and the guysaid -"That's the way down madam"-pointing behind him. "But your flight is in sixhours. Why don't you come back in an hour? OK?!"OK! So atleast I know some of the territory. I headed back. Better sit down.But around me -next to B26 people were literally sitting down! All the seats hadbeen occupied and many of my countrymen were squatting on the ground with kidsbaggage et all! That1 raised my blood pressure and I'll tell you why- See I waswearing these Red Tape -ankle length boots. And I had this new pair of jeans and the new sweater and top and I was lookingmedium hot-you know? Fat no plump and medium hot! The kind that is enough for lady airport officials to treat you rudely and men airport officials to have that extra (Chance Maro!) smile and I was feeling kinda confident because of that! Now! If I had to squat right now because of lack of seat space at Frankfurt International connecting Airport- I would lose it! & I couldn't lose my confidence now! It was only this confidence that was preventing me from getting into the LADIES room and staying there for the next 5and 1/2 hrs as opposed to the 1 and 1/2 hours I had spent in the name of grooming and looing!Well anyway! I wanted furthur on and Thank God!- there was a seat!

There are entries on 11th Nov as well but most of it is unpublishable as there is no way i can rehash it -make it more publishable and not cut out the humour:-(

Do these seem familiar?

criticism and exploitation of support staff
aggressive communication style and dominance of speaking time
patronizing attitude towards women
sidelining of group members
belittling people and/or their ideas
not listening or according value to opinions different than your own
use of analogies that are unfamiliar to women
the adoption of judgmental and subjective approach which prejudges people and puts them in categories (good or bad)
use of in-jokes and humor to exclude those who do not buy into the dominant modes of operating;
taking criticism of ideas personally
making deals outside formal meetings
presenting quick decision-making as a sign of strong leadership and discussion, compromise and negotiation as a sign of weak leadership
talking over, at or down to people rather than engage in true dialogue