Elevators & Typhoons
It seemed like a good idea at the time: the elevator at the company we were visiting claimed that its maximum capacity was sixteen. So naturally, sixteen people filed in. The only problem was that there is a significant different between sixteen Chinese people and sixteen McDonalds generation Americans. As the doors closed, the elevator dropped briefly about three times before the screen flashed “OUT OF ORDER.” The doors failed to open, and we were stuck, packed in as densely as possible, for several minutes, until a rescue team arrived.
Today, we took a ferry from Hong Kong to Macau, a small Island with a population of 500,000 people. To make things interesting, a typhoon has been gradually making its way toward Hong Kong, and we were unsure if the ferry would even be running. It was, but the pre-typhoon waves made for quite the bumpy ride. I have never before seen the attendants come around to the seats with 10-gallon trash bags for those who required something with a bit more volume than the customary sickness bags.
Meanwhile, our project continues on with full gusto. Our final presentation and thirty page business plan is due in little more than two weeks, and we are all beginning to feel the pressure. Lots of coffee is sure to be in the future.
