Problems
You know what time zone you are on. But when you are catching a plane, or phoing a friend, do you always check the time? We have had several embarrassing moments in my family.
1 Phoning Bad News To California.
2 Phoing the UK from the USA - Kennedy
1 London Calling California
She was a long time answering. But, finally, after I had already given up hope and was wodnering what to do next, a sleepy voice answered. I thought: she must be having a daytime nap.
I said, in a distressed tone: "Is that Alice?*"
"Yes."
"S-sorry to disturb you, you don't know me, but I'm Angela, in London, and I'm afraid I have - bad news. My uncle Ronnie has d-died."
After a moment's hesitation, she answered, "I'm very story to hear that. I understand how upset you are. Please forgive me, but I can't place how I know your uncle Ronnie - I'm not very awake - it's the middle of the night here in California."
"Oh no!" I answered. "I was so pleased to find your phone number in his address book, I didn't think about the time zones? Shall I ring back later?"
"No. Carry on talking," she said. "I'm wide awake now! I want to know how you got my number? I don't know anybody in London called Ronnie!"
"You must know him because you wrote a long letter to him at Christmas. I couldn't reply because I didn't know your surname or phone number or address. You may have known him by his stage name. He played the violin - and his stage name was Arthur Gerrard."
"Oh, Arthur! Poor Arthur. I'm so sorry. Thank you for telling me."
"Now that you're awake, would you mind telling me how you met him and what you rmember about him?"
Poor lady, I had woken her with bad news in the middle of the night and then kept her talking another hour!
I think of her every time I look at the pictures of Ronnie on my wall. I think of her when I look at the book I wrote about Ronnie.
2 Washing ton DC calling London
When I and my husband and son lived in Rockville, Maryland, just north of Washington DC in the USA, we used to phone home to my parents in London. Timing was critical. The east coast of the USA, depending on the time of year, is much earlier. The first couple of times we came home from an evening out in the USA and phoned my parents in London before we went to bed. It was nigh time in the UK. Whilst they were hapy to hear from us, they got a fright, thinking a disaster had happened, and won't awak enough to listen to our jolly news.
Kennedy Assassination
I should have rmembered, because when Kennedy died in the afternoon in Dallas, Texas, the TV stations in London were carryignn the news in the evening. I was coming back from my school's evening class when the bus conductress told us the news. She said, "The Merican President has been shot. It must have been the Russians that did it. It's going to be world war three." I was very scared. We had just had a jolly session at my evening calss, on Phikosophy (which i went on to read at University College, London). We had been debating whether it is ever justified to assassinate a leader, if a regime change could bring about good. When I got home, the usual TV programmes had been cancelled. Just a blank screen with a geomateric pattern and music. At intervals, an announcer explained the reason. So I can always remember that the USA is behind the UK, mid-afternoon in the evening in the UK. So don't phone the wrong time!
Answers
1 Check the day and time when phoining from one side of America or Australia to another. Check the of departure and the day of arrival. Check the time zones
(*Name changed.)
For the story on Portugal see previous post.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.
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