 |
SMKN 8 Makassar
|
|
|||||||||
|
|
You are our
Visitor
|
The Arrival in London The Boeing 747-400 Mega Top of Singapore Airlines flight number 032 landed at London International Airport "Heathrow" at 05.50 p.m. exactly as scheduled after flying over the India, Mediterranean and the continent; this can be monitored during the flight on the flight information channel. We are instructed to carry our own cabin luggage and hold our passports stand by for the immigration. Walking through the corridors of the busiest airport in the world, every minute there is an aircraft landing and taking off, queue to the immigration desk. There are several airlines passenger who also queue with us in a snake form. But at the immigration desk we were refused to enter Great Britain, cause our health certificate is not valid. The 7 of us are guided to the airport medical check up office. They check up us again thoroughly even proceed the X-ray; roentgen. This medical check up cost us more than an hour, while our School Council are awaiting at the immigration office for us. He did check our luggage which has been arrived on belt 9. During the check up I ask permission to the officers to go out to see Mr. Franklin to inform him about what is going on with us inside. I know that he is a little bit worry. The check up went smoothly as all of us are very healthy, so we went out through the immigration and got our passport stamped for a stay of two years in Great Britain. We picked up our luggage's, but of course it was taken off the belt cause an other airline has to make use of it. 15 collies, including "my" computer and monitor and suitcases from the ladies which are very heavy. Some of us took a trolley and put our luggage's on it and so we went out. At the meeting point; which is a little bit different than Changi Airport, where the arrival hall is in a hall, here at Heathrow, it is just like a station and very crowded, the hotel taxi's were waiting for us with the sign "SMKN 8 Makassar". Proud to see our school sign here! Fatma introduce here self and beg apology for waiting so long. Meanwhile the chauffeurs has contacted the hotel again to reconfirm our arrival and were instructed to wait for an other half an hour. This is due to the e-mail that we sent from "Changi" Airport that we are on the flight of SQ032. Lucky that we can communicate in this way, so misunderstanding can be avoid.
We put our luggage's in two taxis and went to the hotel, it was already 08.15 a.m. According to the chauffeur it took normally 30 minutes from Heathrow to Strand. At this time usually there will be a traffic jam and it will take than an hour to go to the hotel. We were very surprised at the moment we arrive at the hotel. Really, surprised! Who welcome us at the main entrance was the Assistant Executive Manager and the Personnel Manager and said "Selamat Pagi, Selamat Datang di Savoy London". We thought that we were brought to the personnel entrance, but no, directly to the main entrance where it is usually used by the esquire society of London. They instructed to left our luggage's at the concierge at to follow them. We went through the lobby, foyer and went up to the special function rooms. On the door of a function room there is a sign "Reserved". Ms. Beth Aarons open this door and invite us to come in. An other surprise. Mr. Phillipe Krenzer than said: "You are very tired after the long flight to London, please have breakfast with us". All of us still under the impression, we could not believe that this happen to us, having a welcome breakfast with the Top Management team of Savoy Hotel. After we have been seated, we were be introduced to our Executive Chef and Ms. Beth Aarons, a lovely young lady, explain to us the working condition and environment at the Savoy. They all tell us when there is any problem, we have to report to our Supervisor and if there is something that we do not understand we have to ask them. So, we have our breakfast served by waiters. Out of our imagination!. Mr. Philippe Krenzer said: "Today you are our guest but on Monday you have to work"! And then he laugh....we all love together. Me myself, am thinking: is this real or is this a dream?! Then Ms. Beth Aarons said: "Today you are all tired and have to rest, tomorrow is Saturday and then Sunday, you all are free and can do a sight seeing through the Metropolitan City of London. The Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus is just 15 minutes by foot from the Hotel". Again we are surprised, cause we are free for 3 days. After Breakfast Ms ever Beth Aarons show us how to get to our accommodation compartment, where we can have our meals at the personnel dining room, where the way is to the Human Resource Office, where we have to punch in etc. At Human Resources Office we were introduced to the HRD Staff and Mr. Phillipe Krenzer say good bye to us because he will not see us until Monday, cause he will go to Paris and will show Mr. Franklin his room at the third floor; room 431 This kind of hospitality we never expect before, that an Assistant Executive Manager will do the guiding by himself and is so polite. I think that such think never happen in Indonesia, even those hotels that are under management of foreigners.
At the Human Resource Office, Ms Beth Aarons handed over our room keys and the front door key to our compartment that is laid on the annex 5th floor to the hotel. We went to our rooms through a different way from where we came to the Human Resource Office. As Savoy hotel is 108 years old, but well maintained, so it everything looks under care and is taking care of, we have to go through corridors and gang ways that at first seems all the same a little confusing. Wenny and Nurbaity staying in room 30, so it is next to me, in 31, Salmiah and Siti are in room 28 and Dolly and Fatma are in room 27 which is at the other row of our corridor but in the same compartment. Each corridor has its rest room and shower-room, but has only one commune sitting room and a kitchenette equipped with a refrigerator and microwave oven. We can make use of all facilities that are available in at the staff quarters. All rooms has it's central heating, but is only in use during the autumn and winter. The temperature at present is between 10° Centigrade to 18°Centigrade.
We took our luggage's that has been stored by the concierge at the basement and brought it to our room. I install my computer and check every thing to assure that it is working normally. I unpacked all bringing from Indonesia and store it in the cupboard and drawers. I look out of my room, and see the blue sky, it is sunny but there is still a cold breeze, I stared at a building next door to the Savoy, look around and all seems so antique, typical of an old city. Mr. Franklin came to our staff quarters and ask me if I would accompany him to the Indonesian Embassy at Governors Street. He instructed the girls to rest and promise to go out after we have reported our self to the Indonesian Embassy. We went to the Embassy by taxi. The taxi started with charging £ 2.00. I opened my city map and try to recognize the streets in London as I did before in Singapore. We went through Piccadilly Square, turn around some streets before we arrive at the Embassy. The Embassy is situated in an old typical London house in front of a Park and next to a Hotel and across the USA Embassy. We paid £ 6.60 for a ride that is approximately Rp. 105.000,-- But when we arrive here it is almost 11.30 a.m. and so all the staff have their Friday Sholat break. They told us to come back at 01.30 p.m. Mr. Franklin suggest me to go to the Mosque, which is according to the Embassy staff not far from the Embassy, just turn left and straight 100 meters. So we went there, to the Mosque, which belongs to the Egypt Society in London. Your Comments and Suggestion
|
