Japan Layover

Our flight to Japan was uneventful. The kids settled into their seats and got busy playing games and watching movies on the seatback video screens. It always puzzles me why they have these great individual screens on the short hop (9 hours) from Bangkok to Tokyo, but not on the longer flight (15 hours) from Tokyo to Minneapolis. The seatback screens are a great way to keep kids entertained on a long flight, but for some reason, they don't have them on the big 747's that fly across the Pacific. On that flight, we are "treated" to 15 hours of Delta commercials, a few sitcoms, and a couple of movies that everyone has seen already. Plus they only have one not-so-big screen at the front of the cabin, so the kids get bored easily. Shame on you, Boeing! Fortunately, the Bangkok-Tokyo route uses an Airbus, which has the seatback video screens, and that helps make that flight more enjoyable for someone flying with children, especially 18 children!

When we arrived in Japan, Boom got an bloody nose, and it was an absolute gusher! Blood was just pouring out of his head and the few tissues we had were not up to the task. So I ran back onto the plane and asked the flight attendants for some towels. After a few minutes sitting down with his head held back, the bleeding stopped and he was fine. Next time I'm going to have to remember to keep a roll of tissue in my carry-on bag just in case he gets another bloody nose on the return flight.

After a brief passport/ticket check, we headed over to our other gate. The kids were probably not too pleased with me, because my rule in the airport is: "Gate first, Fun second." So as we passed a bunch of interesting shops and a McDonald's I heard a few grumbles and complaints. However, they fell on deaf ears as I frog-marched them military-style to the departure gate for our connecting flight. I have a reason for doing this, of course. I know better than to cut 18 kids loose in an airport without first finding our gate, checking in, and then checking to see if there is still time to explore. I'm not going to try hunting down lost kids 15 minutes before our flight leaves, so my rule is to get to the gate first, give the kids a meeting point and a time limit, and then cut them loose.

At the departure gate, I had all the kids sit down in a circle for a little "pep talk". I split them into two groups, one group had all the children from last year, and the other group had all the children who were going to America for the first time.

"OK," I said to the first-timers, "You all have to return back to America. You can't come on the trip."

"Huh? Waaa?" they all replied.

"Well," I said, pointing at the returning students, "You can't come because these guys were very naughty last year, and so nobody wants to host students any more."

"Huh? Waaa?" they all replied again.

"Oh wait!" I said, "I got that wrong. You can all come on this trip because these students were so well-behaved last year and so their host families told their friends about it, and that's how I found hosts for many of you."

I then pointed out how Jet, Sea, James, Gam, Jan, and May had all been responsible for helping me find hosts for others in the group. I told them all, "Remember, the next time you step off that airplane, you'll be in America, and you will be representing yourself, your family, and your country. For many of the Americans you see, you will be the first Thai person they ever meet. So if you are naughty or impolite, they will think that of all Thai people. However, if you are polite and well-behaved, they will remember Thailand as a place where good children live."

The kids all nodded and said, "OK, Teacher."

"Also," I reminded them, "how you behave will affect whether or not I'm able to do this trip in the future. If you are a problem for your host families or your teachers, then they will not recommend my program to their friends and other schools. That will make it harder for me to find host families next year. So think about all your friends back in Thailand who want to go on this trip. Do your best to give them the opportunity to come too, by being a good guest in the American homes and schools. OK?"

"Yes, Teacher!" they all chimed in. I know the kids probably found that speech a little boring, but I feel it's important that they understand their responsibilities. Back home, if they misbehave, they only give their parents and teachers a headache, but in America, there could be other consequences, and so I want them to be on their best behavior and aware of the fact that what they do on this trip will affect other people besides themselves.

Lecture completed, I cut the children loose for an hour so they could explore the airport in Japan. However, I did set limits on how far they could explore, and I made sure the younger ones were escorted by Nuchy or the older students. Fortunately, the Delta terminal in Japan is not that big and self-contained so there aren't that many opportunities to get lost. The kids checked out the gift shops, bought a few snacks and returned to the gate in plenty of time to catch their flight. They might grumble about my military hardline in airports, but I do try to give them some freedom too.

While guarding the bags (and getting some rest), I fielded a lot of questions from people curious about our group. Everyone commented on two things: a) how crazy/brave I was to travel with 18 children, and b) how well-behaved the kids were. Which is true. I know I'm pretty strict, and I get on their case if they forget their manners, but the truth is that the kids have been wonderful this trip (don't tell them I said that, OK? Hahah!).

Next stop: AMERICA!