T.I.A.
T.I.A.-This Is Africa: an all purpose and mostly accurate explanation for everything.
This is a T.I.A story.
Recently an airliner was departing Goma for points west. The airline had oversold the flight but they let everyone with a ticket board the airplane. There were 5 people standing in the aisle with no seat. They refused to leave. Everyone with a seat refused to leave. Much discussion ensued. You must remember that in Lingala, a minor point of contention sounds like they are about to kill each other and this was no minor point of contention.
After some time, they induced 5 people to leave the airplane. Then it was found that one of the 5 had a real, genuine, had to get there reason to be back on the flight. The reason was so good that when they made the announcement over the cabin p.a. one guy immediately volunteered to get off the airplane. He got off and the guy with the genuine need got on only to find that in the interim, the seat had been occupied by another guy who had been hiding in the airplane lavatory the whole time.
I don't know what happened after that.
Something like this probably wouldn't happen this way in the States. The people here, for better or worse, don't seem to be "broke to harness" in the same way or extent we are. Their harness has a different configuration.
This is a T.I.A story.
Recently an airliner was departing Goma for points west. The airline had oversold the flight but they let everyone with a ticket board the airplane. There were 5 people standing in the aisle with no seat. They refused to leave. Everyone with a seat refused to leave. Much discussion ensued. You must remember that in Lingala, a minor point of contention sounds like they are about to kill each other and this was no minor point of contention.
After some time, they induced 5 people to leave the airplane. Then it was found that one of the 5 had a real, genuine, had to get there reason to be back on the flight. The reason was so good that when they made the announcement over the cabin p.a. one guy immediately volunteered to get off the airplane. He got off and the guy with the genuine need got on only to find that in the interim, the seat had been occupied by another guy who had been hiding in the airplane lavatory the whole time.
I don't know what happened after that.
Something like this probably wouldn't happen this way in the States. The people here, for better or worse, don't seem to be "broke to harness" in the same way or extent we are. Their harness has a different configuration.
posted by Carl at 10:00 AM
3 Comments:
That is brilliantly funny.
To this day I still feel guilty for bumping a nun off a connecting flight in Cameroon.
It was either me or her. And my flight to Paris took priority.
ok, fess up. there was a girl meeting you in Paris wasn't there? go on, you can tell us.
Sounds like someone saw Blood Diamond
;)
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