Etiquette
Visit with an Artist
Jun 13th
One of my favorite experiences from my trip to New Zealand in April was the chance to meet and talk with Maori artist Blaine Te Rito. As we drove to Blaine’s home-based studio in an Auckland suburb, our guide and Potiki Tours co-founder Melissa Crockett told us how she came to meet Blaine and what a great ambassador for New Zealand and traditional Maori art and culture he is . . . as we would soon see for ourselves. She also explained that Blaine has a full facial moko (tattoo) that he would be happy to explain and be photographed. And, just before we arrived at his home, Melissa explained that we would also be greeted with the hongi, a traditional Maori greeting in which two individuals press their noses together, forehead to forehead. She gave us a few pointers: no rubbing noses, just a brief touch which may be accompanied by a handshake.
Blaine is one of those people who can immediately put anyone at ease, and although he explained he had injured his back earlier and was in some pain, one wouldn’t have known it by his frequent, booming laughter and his willingness to chat with us on his deck for an hour or so. He started by explaining to us the meaning behind the hongi (it is an exchange and intermingling of the breath of life in each of us) and some of the creation stories of the Maori and Polynesian cultures.
Blaine’s primary medium is wood, and he has been carving since he received his first set of tools from his father at Christmas when he was 10. His training in traditional carving began when he was 15, but he said he really has only been supporting himself with his art full time in the past five or six years. He travels the world on behalf of the New Zealand arts board exhibiting, teaching and taking part in indigenous art workshops. He has completed commissioned pieces for private and public collections alike, and the samples of his work which he shared with us (a mask with a full moko and the prow of a war canoe) were wonderfully wrought and intricate in detail. When he creates a piece for an individual, he learns as much as he can about that person’s background and family, because the art will contain symbols and stylized designs which refer to that information. He says, “Every piece begins with a story; I always start with a story.”
Blaine shared with us a bit of his own story and how he came to have his moko. The practice had nearly died out (missionaries discouraged the practice, and because originally the designs were actually chiseled into the skin, there were problems with infections and hygiene) until a revival began over the last 20 years. Blaine explained that because the practice had been co-opted by some young men in gangs, there is still some stigma attached to the tattoos, but not just anyone can receive a moko from “the masters” — the traditional artists. Tribal elders must give their permission, and Blaine indicated that he also sought the approval of several of his family members. A proper moko is designed to “fit” the individual’s features, and the pattern is determined by one’s life story and ancestors. The left side represents one’s mother’s ancestry while the right represents the father’s, and patterns flowing from the nostrils (again, the breath of life) represent one’s children. While women may have their chins and occasionally their foreheads tattooed, only men can have the full facial tattoo.
All too soon we had to take our leave, and after once again sharing a hongi with each of us, Blaine bid us “Haere ra” (literally, “Go!”). Looking back on that afternoon, I realize that while his moko was at first very striking, my memories of Blaine are more clearly now of his wide smile, infectious laughter and generous nature. As I have found so often true of my travels, while New Zealand and Auckland were beautiful and enchanting, encounters with individuals like Blaine Te Rito will be my most treasured memories.
– Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editorÂ
Airplane Etiquette
May 27th
An interesting discussion arose recently about appropriate airline etiquette. Do you ever consider what you wear on an airplane? Perhaps you don’t because you think paying $12,000 for the business-class seat entitles you to wear whatever you want. But do you think so-and-so across the aisle paid the same amount to see you in your hot pink jumpsuit? Probably not. Back in the day, flying was a commodity — no matter what class you chose — and respectable attire was airline protocol. Here is a list of some first-class do’s and don’ts, along with some suggestions of comfortable yet classy attire.
1. DON’T wear your favorite pair of fuzzy slippers when boarding the plane.
2. DO bring a pair of modest slippers in your carry-on to change into after boarding, or wear a pair of classy flats. Leather ballet flats or boat shoes have the comfort and flexibility without the clash. Here are a few suggestions:
- Modest Women’s Dakota slipper
3. DON’T wear your favorite Champion sweatsuit or Juicy Couture jumpsuit.
4. DO bring a comfortable outfit to change into after boarding or wear a classy, comfortable outfit to the airport. Here are a few suggestions:
- Women’s Donna Karen jersey leggings
- Men’s comfortable pinstripe linen pants
These tips may sound silly to the paying customer, but you aren’t the only one flying to your destination today; and you certainly aren’t the only person expecting a comfortable, smooth, less-distracting flight.
Happy flying!
– Courtney Centeno, account executive
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Are Signs
Apr 10th
In the last few weeks I’ve been enjoying looking through the literally hundreds of pictures that daughter Jenny has posted on her Facebook page from her European adventures. I can see that she really has quite a good eye for lighting and a nicely framed shot, but she also has an eye for spotting the delightful and sometimes ridiculous in signs posted everywhere from Ireland to Italy. Anyone who’s traveled much has certainly spotted those informational signs posted in several languages which, in the translations, can often have unintended if amusing messages. Several of Jenny’s sign pictures, though, don’t involve words at all, while others are amusing in their context or in spite of the fact that they were written in the “native” tongue.
One of Jenny’s early encounters with such eye-catching messages came on a trip to the beach here in Oregon. She and I were walking on the boardwalk in Seaside and came upon a large blue-and-white tsunami zone warning sign. It depicts an enormous, three-story wave cresting over a tiny stick figure fleeing from the shore, and arrows point in the direction of a “tsunami evacuation route.” She insisted that I snap a photo of her next to the sign, posed in that same position of running from the threat with a terrified expression on her face. Amused not by the very real danger of tsunamis but by the exaggeration necessary in the sign to get its point across to we silly humans, she has kept an eye out for similar messages ever since.
While visiting the grounds at Versailles in January, she snapped a photo of a sign apparently meant to warn of the risk sloping pathways pose to the wheelchair-bound. A wheelchair (empty) in silhouette zooms down a 45-degree slope (three short lines behind the chair indicate the rapid rate of its descent). It’s really quite alarming — and amusing — in its stark depiction of man vs. terrain.
At the Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, Jenny saw that all the signs in the world, exaggerated or otherwise, simply won’t deter some folks from risking life and limb for a photo opportunity or a little rebellious thrill. The Cliffs rise to a maximum height of 700 feet straight up from the crashing waves of the ocean below (if you’ve seen The Princess Bride, you’ve seen the Cliffs of Moher). Most sane people would not require any kind of warning to stay back from the edge, but Jenny’s picture of the long string of signs telling visitors to stay on THIS side of the fence, do not go beyond this point, etc., etc. would suggest otherwise. That, and the fact that in that same frame one can clearly see some crazy soul trekking along the cliff edge well beyond the safety zone.
Another favorite of mine from this particular subset of travel photos is one taken in Vatican City. I myself have been to plenty of churches and mosques where visitors are requested to dress modestly via written notices, but I’d never seen a graphic depiction of that message like the one Jenny found. At the top, above the stern words “No Entry” and their equivalent international symbol are two of those generic male and female figures usually found on restroom doors. The female here, however, is dressed not in her usual A-line dress but in what appears to be a sleeveless mini with a plunging neckline — complete with cleavage! The male wears short shorts and a sleeveless tank top. The bottom half of the sign depicts a lady in a below-the-knee dress with sleeves and a modest neckline, while the gentleman seems to be attired in neck-to-ankle long johns. They are accompanied by “YES” and an arrow helpfully directing one to the entrance. No quibbling here; if your clothing doesn’t match the picture, it’s No Entry for you!
Got any sign stories you’d like to share?
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
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Can’t We All Just Get Along?
Feb 27th
A Delta Connections flight, operated by Pinnacle Airlines, was canceled out of upstate New York late this week. Big deal, you say, the Northeast was hit by (yet another) big snowstorm at the end of the week; lots of flights were canceled. Well, this is true, but weather wasn’t a factor in this particular instance.
Mechanical problems? Drunk pilot? A bomb threat? An unruly passenger? You’re getting warmer, but, no, none of these was the reason the Rochester-to-Atlanta flight was dropped. Instead, as the plane returned to its gate after a passenger suffered a panic attack, a “spat” apparently broke out between two female flight attendants. The pilot, in ”an abundance of caution,” according to a Pinnacle spokesman, made the decision to cancel the flight. The 75 passengers said they were told they had to get off the plane because the stewardesses were fighting (can you imagine hearing that announcement coming over the speakers?!), and they were found alternate travel arrangements.
We’ve all heard all kinds of stories, some of them quite bizarre, about altercations aboard planes that have led to flights being diverted, emergency landings and the like. This is the first I can recall where a fight between crew members led to this kind of action. The airline spokesman said this was a verbal, not a physical, argument; but apparently it was of such a scale that the pilot felt it was best to ground the flight. I really find that remarkable, as well as dismaying.
Of course, we don’t know (and probably never will) the whole story and its background. Perhaps the captain had flown with these attendants before, perhaps there was a history of unpleasantness between them, and perhaps he had had enough and felt drastic measures were necessary to put an end to it. (The two attendants have been removed from duty pending an internal investigation.) But doesn’t it bother you that two individuals who work in the service sector could not be professional enough to carry out their duties in a civilized manner? Their personal animosity and the captain’s means of handling it inconvenienced a great many people. Ironically, their behavior, in the pilot’s mind at least, was a threat to the safety of that flight — safety which it is their assigned duty to secure.
It leads me to ponder, as I have occasion to do too often these days, the increasing lack of public civility on display everywhere, from the U.S. Capitol to city council meetings, from the grocery store check-out line to . . . the airport. Sometimes it seems that people take their social cues from Jerry Springer instead of Emily Post. I know from reading the many letters to Global Traveler and blog comments here that our readers, many of whom travel the world and interact with a variety of cultures, practice and understand the value of courtesy and respect for others, even when others’ lifestyles or opinions don’t align with their own.
Maybe that’s the solution: Folks who have become too insular and self-centered need to get out and travel more. They need to mingle with their fellow human beings from all walks of life and practice the art of getting along with those different (and yet oh-so-alike, fundamentally) from themselves. That’s assuming, of course, that their flight to a new destination isn’t canceled due to dueling flight attendants.
– Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader
