standinaqueue (original) (raw)
Beni, & Rwanda Border, DR Congo
May 6th, 2007
I didn’t realise that it would take me quite so long to find a queue in Congo. But find one I did.
Unfortunately it was not with my own eyes, but through the help of Kizungu who, luckily for all of us, is not only our doorman but he also moonlights as a photographer.
The queue was found at a wedding in Beni, where Kizungu was the photographer and his wife sang in the choir.
Unfortunately I do not know much about the queue, except that it was for food.
I do have another queuing experience to share with you however. Yesterday afternoon I just got back from driving WildlifeDirect’s new vehicle from Goma to Beni. Unfortunately it’s not a journey to be done inside Congo as the route goes through the South of Virunga park where many rebel groups hang out, waiting to steal cars and slit throats, and so instead the journey is done via Rwanda and Uganda.
The border between Congo and Rwanda is on the edge of the town of Goma and looks like this:
Although I do recommend that if you should ever come across this border or any other border into or out of Congo, that you do not take a photograph.
Congo side of the border there is a motley crew of people all trying to shove their way to the front of the Immigration Office’s window to have their passports stamped. I, as you can imagine, am not terribly good at this and so it took me far longer than it ought to have my passport stamp, and after finding myself always at the back of the group it took me a good forty minutes until I was able to cross into Rwanda.
Rwanda side and it was the same group of people but this time they were all orderly queued one behind the other. And I, being last through the border, obviously had to join the back of the queue and thus took another forty minutes or more before I could head off on my journey through Rwanda.
Posted in Stood in the Congo, stood watching a queue, stood in a queue | 8 Comments »
Stood in the Congo
February 25th, 2007
You will now find me here. And with Atamato.
Come and say hello.
Posted in Stood in the Congo | 2 Comments »
The Post Office, Leicester
February 12th, 2007
Off to the Post Office in Leicester as this is the nearest P.O. to me that issues International Driver’s Permits on the spot. I needed the permit straight away as it looks like I’ll be driving a motorbike while in the Congo. Although don’t tell my insurance company.
It was quite a long queue. And rather rowdy too, with much talking and laughing within the ranks. I had not been standing in the queue for a couple of minutes, with the occasional thought to my future home, when a lady shot past on my right and planted a kiss on the cheek of a gentleman three persons ahead.
That’s her above. The fuzzy beige shape with buttons up the back of her legs.
She was very pleased to see the gentleman and was quite flirtatious. She often touched his arm and even placed her hand on his chest, twice. She clearly thought him a good catch, even though in his right hand he carried a McDonalds Happy Meal.
That’s him there, with his dreads in a ponytail.
It was at this point when the two ladies behind me, who were strangers to each other, started commenting on whether the Lady in Beige intended to keep her appropriated place in the queue. If it was not for her lascivious behaviour I’m sure that they would not have tutted quite so loudly, but tut they did. And I’m rather certain that the Lady in Beige heard one of their tuts, with her chosen response being to merely run her fingers through her full bodied head of hair. The vixen.
I actually didn’t mind so much, and rather enjoyed her show. She was very good at it and, although she was neither posh nor a market stall holder, she said Darling quite a lot, especially to the gentleman in front who she occasionally banged into with her bag. I am sorry Darling.
I wasn’t watching the whole time, and at one point was distracted by thoughts of whether I should buy a water bottle or not. You see, I’m going to go and see what I can do to help out with some blogs and will be travelling between places quite a lot. I did later on decide yes to the bottle and purchased a shiny red thing that carries 1.5 litres, but lets not get distracted.
As we made our way around the barriers, and approached the front of the queue, yet another lady passed me on my right, but this time with a small boy in tow who was also carrying a McDonalds Happy Meal. She was delighted to see the Lady in Beige, and the Lady in Beige also showed delight but stepped away from the man with the Happy Meal.
That’s the edges of Lady number 2 and small child, to the right of the picture.
Cashier number 4 please, Cashier number 6 please, and the group were soon at the front of the queue. The Lady in Beige skilfully turned her back to the counters so that she could chat to the couple and also be at the front of the group, and once Cashier number 7 please was announced she was Lovely to see you Darling, and you Darling, and made her way to the counter.
I could still hear her Darlings when I was at till four, although to be fair, she wasn’t that far away from me.
As I leave tomorrow, the day before Valentine’s Day, Cashier number 4 wondered how I would get all my Valentines cards if I was already off on my travels. I was feeling rather bold and answered that I would get them all forwarded to me in a great big parcel. “To the Congo?” she said, “you’ll be lucky.”
She’s right. There’ll be no post and probably not any queues either. Although should I happen to chance upon one, I can guarantee that it will feature here on Standinaqueue.
I’ve decided that we cannot shut the doors to Standinaqueue as I quite like it here and I hope that you do too. I think together we have managed to create a wealth of information on the art of queuing, what with the brilliant comments and the number of guest queuers, and lets not forget the momentous International Standinaqueue Day, and so it would be a shame if that was it, All the best, Cheerio.
And so for the next year the posts will be infrequent with, I should imagine, whole months passing without any activity. Although, if you would like to keep the torch burning and contribute to Standinaqueue, send me a mail and I’ll post up your queue story.
I will, in a couple of weeks, be starting a new blog. One that is more appropriate to my location. Although the address of said blog is yet unknown, as well as the topic, but once decided I’ll post the address here and would love it if you all came along.
The time spent here at Standinaqueue has been rather lovely, and for that I thank you all.
Cheers.
Posted in stood in a queue | 15 Comments »
Beijing, China
February 9th, 2007
Sparked by Gorgeous‘ comments in a previous post, Dr David Brand has pursued the story of queues in China and kindly brings us the following:
Gorgeous’ item about the citizens of Beijing (Beijingers?) queuing on the 11th of each month so enthused me that I looked up the news item myself - and what a gem it is.
The 11th of every month in Beijing is to be “voluntarily wait in line” day, yet the city envisages “punishment and reward schemes”. “Orderly queues are a rare sight”, yet I had always understood that China was the epitome of civilisation. Alas, how wrong I have evidently been.
It is also interesting the the Beijing authorities place queue-jumping in the same category as littering and spitting. “Random garbage disposal and spitting are not good for people’s health”, we are told, and I’m sure that the same must be true for queue-jumping.
How inspiring it is that the Capital Ethic Development Office (why can’t our UK Government have one of theses?) recognises that “where there are more than two people, they should wait in line”. There is surely a lesson there for us all. And how gratifying to note that we devotees of the Queue are at last recognised as “missionaries of civilisation”.
That brings me to the uplifting slogans adopted by the various districts:
“It’s civilised to queue, it’s glorious to be polite.”
“Voluntarily wait in line, be polite and put other people first.”
“I care about and participate in the Olympics and set an example by queuing.”
and finally
“I am a member of the queue.”
These people could almost be English.
However, perhaps the Beijing authorities don’t realise the extent to which their people already queue. Here are two delightful photos of people queuing to visit Chairman Mao’s Mausoleum:
The Chinese are giving an exemplary display of queuing etiquette: an orderly line, no communication between the queuers, and even the provision of an apparently pointless barrier in order to mark out an empty rectangle.
Here’s another one:
There’s something rather sinister and totalitarian about the regimented formation of this queue, with its too precise ninety-degree turn. And finally, evidence that the Beijing authorities should provide more facilities for their visitors:
The picture’s title is ‘Forbidden City Rest Room Queue’.
So it seems that Beijing already has a rich queuing culture - however, any queue is capable of improvement. Each queue is only a partial realisation of that Platonic ideal: the perfect queue. I therefore commend the authorities of Beijing for their efforts to move their city a little closer to this Queuing Nirvana.
Posted in queue in the news | 10 Comments »
The Tip, Leicester
February 9th, 2007
Samantha spent Saturday night smashing up her built-in wardrobe with a hammer. And so Sunday morning brought with it a phone-call to drive both her and a pile of plywood to her local tip.
Unfortunately her local tip is not like our rural affair in Market Harborough, but is instead smack bang in the middle of the city of Leicester and is shared by a significant number of DIY weekend enthusiasts.
Here we have an aerial shot of the queue leading into the tip, which Samantha took from the roof of our car.
It was not a fast mover, and most had turned off their engines. This however led newcomers to believe that we were parked and not queued, and so they tried to enter the skip by driving past we patient queuers, who incidentally were all tuned in to BBC Radio 4. Or so I like to think.
In the above picture is a cheeky chap who soon learns the error of his ways and is compelled to make a hasty retreat, and shown below a second chap who, clearly rather embarrassed by his unwitting attempt to queue jump, decides to turn around and leave the area completely.
There were those who avoided the queue by entering and leaving the tip on foot.
Despite signs forbidding that you should do so.
And finally, here is the queue master, the chap in neon in charge of the barrier.
Who was terribly nice and called me ‘pal’ twice.
However do not let this distract from the fact that he waved in a friend driving a large white van who, after the removal of two strategically placed traffic cones, was able to enter the tip ahead of the queue.
PS. News about my imminent trip to the Congo and, more importantly, the future of Standinaqueue will be given this weekend.
Posted in sat in a queue | 9 Comments »
HSBC, Market Harborough
January 30th, 2007
Coming up to lunchtime on a Friday afternoon, which for a lot of people is the start of the weekend. I joined the anxious-to-get-home workers in HSBC and stood in the small queue, ready to pay in a cheque.
Although only two people ahead of me, it was a slow moving affair as those already at the counter were doing their end of week banking.
Either that or they were both going through the complicated process of purchasing endangered orangutans which are on sale this month.
A few minutes passed and the queue quickly grew, but with only one person ahead of me I was quietly confident that HSBC would not run out of orangutans by the time I got to the front.
It was at this point that the fellow who works at the welcoming desk, I suppose the concierge, approached the queue and asked if anyone was waiting to make a deposit.
Of course we were. We all were. But we all knew full well that he wanted to take us over to the machines. From past experience, there was no chance that I would be depositing my cheque into a machine. I’ve opened the slot before and found an envelope already sitting there, full of somebody else’s cash. Once in Falmouth I had a cheque disappear for two weeks and was told that there was no evidence of it anywhere, despite my receipt proving the contrary.
I stood my ground and waited in the queue, along with everyone else. However after a second attempt the concierge managed to pick off the weakest member of the queue, the lady at the very back.
A couple more minutes later and I deposited my cheque and was almost finished with the day’s banking. I just needed to see someone about getting a new card. Someone who was now stood in a queue for the Deposits machine, waiting to show the lady how to bank a cheque.
That’s him in the white shirt. Making mundane comments about the marvels of modern technology. The lady next to him made appropriate noises to show that she was impressed. But she clearly wasn’t. And neither was I. I had to wait several minutes until the pair were finished and thus created another queue in the middle of the bank. Quickly joined by two others, we all did our very best not to get in the way.
Posted in stood in a queue | 22 Comments »
Asda, Leicester
January 24th, 2007
I’ve noticed in this Asda and the one in Manchester, that there is a red line that divides the tills from the main shop.
I’m afraid that although this separates the shopping experience from the packing your bags part of a shop, this demarcation upsets me terribly as it passes right through the queuing area.
Joining the queue till-side of the line is comforting and inclusive, however if the length of the queue pushes one over the line, shop-side, then you are forced to stand in this newly created no man’s land.
One wants to belong to the till area but you are instead made to feel painfully aware that you are actually in the shopping area and therefore in the way of persons still shopping. Note in the above picture how the man, made to feel self-conscious by the line, has put his trolley side on in the queue to take up less space.
I do not think that I would be taking things too far if I stated that this red line takes the pride out of queuing.
Posted in stood in a queue with a basket, stood in a queue | 10 Comments »
T.K. Maxx, Leicester
January 23rd, 2007
I found a designer label for less at TK Maxx and so we headed to the cashier.
It didn’t take long to settle into the queue and Sarah started to deliberate over whether she should go back for that purple top or not.
Before she could decide whether she should or should not, another cashier arrived and we were called to her counter. Next Please!
By the time we walked round Sarah had forgotten completely about the top. If service had been slower, I’m sure she would have gone back for it.
Posted in stood in a queue with my sister, stood in a queue | 3 Comments »
Sainsbury’s, Leicester
January 22nd, 2007
There was ice falling from the sky when I purchased my petrol, and a well intentioned chap was queuing up inside to pay while his wife braved the elements and filled up their Mondeo.
That’s him to the right of the picture, clutching the Leicester Mercury. The chap at the counter actually arrived after Mr Mondeo, but wifey outside hadn’t quite yet finished filling up, so Mr Mondeo offered his place to this second chap by taking a step back from the queue and pointing towards the cashier with his Mercury.
“All yours mate.”
“Cheers.”
He stepped forward back into his place at the head of the queue, and was seemingly confident that his wife would have finished filling up by the time the second chap was finished.
However, Mr Mondeo didn’t account for Sheila coming off her break and opening up a second till. Wifey outside was still not yet finished and I was guided to Shelia by a folded Leicester Mercury.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers.”
Posted in stood in a queue | 7 Comments »
Cows, South Africa
January 16th, 2007
Once again I apologise for the lack of posts here at Standinaqueue, but I’m afraid I have these last few days been suffering from a full blown bout of man-flu. This means that there’s been plenty of time for Newsround and Homes Under the Hammer, but a lack of opportunities to stand in a queue. Luckily for all of us the lovely Dr David Brand has been giving the debate of queuing animals some more thought and has come up with this:
I’ve discovered this picture from South Africa of “Holstein cows waiting to be milked” -only the title should clearly be “Holstein cows Queuing to be milked“.
So, following on from the recent scholarly discussion in this Blog about which animals (if any) queue, we now have incontrovertible proof that cows queue.
It’s difficult to tell from the picture what the cows are thinking, or whether they’re pleased to be featured on Standinaqueue.
I hope you’re all as excited by this as I am.
Posted in cows stood in a queue | 28 Comments »