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| Checked in and ready for fun! |
Traveling is fun. It is more fun when you do it dressed as a clown. I typically dress as a clown when I travel to Russia. It is a tradition of sorts, ever since my first trip there on a Patch Adam's clown tour. Now I travel alone, but still dress up. I get the best reactions and questions. The questions allow me to tell people about my friend Maria and her program Maria's Children (
www.mariaschildren.ru). The only other time I have dressed as a clown for travel was when my buddy Danny Donuts and I went to Brazil. I wasn't even in full clown garb, but we had so much fun with just wearing noses and colorful clothes and playing with the kids. I am considering dressing up EVERY time I travel. That seems a little excessive, and I fear it may take away some of the specialness of it. We shall see.
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| Not even dressed up really. Just noses. |
A lot of my fun on this year's trip to Russia was had in airports. It started in Jacksonville with 2 brothers who giggled at my antics. I did a simple routine with my carry on bag and they loved it. I love improv! I ended it with the standby magic box and gave them stickers. I could hear them chattering as I continued on my way, their mother smiling. A smiling parent who is traveling alone with 2 kids under age 7 is it's own reward as well!
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| Natalie, a Belgium flight attendant. So sweet! |
In DC the fun continued, all the way to Brussels. Typically the flight attendants love me too. I guess I am something to break up the monotony of their jobs. Some will even take photos with me, noses on. One flight attendant asked me if I wanted something sweet. I said "sure!". She brought me 2 macaroons and chips and other sweets... on a glass plate! I felt like I was in first class.
Even going thru customs and passport control, I get smiles and giggles. I do take my nose off for passport control of course, but they still enjoy the nose as long as I am respectful of their job. I am. As I get my luggage and continue to the exit I get laughs and waves, etc. This year my ride wasn't waiting for me, oops. A small miscommunication on my part. Luckily I got a hold of Natasha and Pavel was on his way. That gave me 2 hours to play some more, along with a few taxi ride offers. I assured them I had a friend coming and they smiled and left me to my play.
As we travel to and from Beslan there are even more clowns, which always gets big reactions and fun. Especially with Guillaume around. He is larger than life, yet sweeter than honey! The kids just LOVE him! Every year my friend Aslan greets me in Vladikavkaz. He is a taxi driver, but usually comes on his time off to greet me. We have a big hug and few words. Neither of us speaks the other one's language, but it doesn't even matter. We have a LIFE long friendship for sure!
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| Aslan and Chip |
Vladikavkaz is a small airport. So we don't have a lot of time usually, but there is still some playtime. One cute boy took a nose and then promptly did some "magic" tricks with it. He would stick the nose on his thumb, put his hand behind his back, and then bring his thumb out in front to show me the nose was GONE! Wow, bravo. He was so cute. He did this a couple of times and then the last time he did it, he turned around to show me what he was doing behind his back to make the nose "disappear". I loved it!
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| He makes that nose disappear! :0) |
I interacted with a small family right before we left. One of the kids, age 7 or so, was in a special stroller, and obviously had Cerebral Palsy or some other disability. I can never resist kids who have special needs. His family was all smiles, but he seemed disinterested. With the language barrier it is hard to tell what he is thinking. I pulled out a nose and asked his mom if I can put it on his nose? A hand gesture by me and the word "Mozhna?" indicates what I mean. She nods with a smile. So I gently place it on his nose and his face breaks out in a HUGE smile! That just made my day I must say, and I think it is safe to say it made him and his family happy too!
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| Sasha and his brother. |
On the way home to America, the fun continues. As I awaited my flight from Moscow to Frankfurt, I just strolled around and played with whoever was willing. I saw a small group that looked interested, so I set up to do some simple juggling. I saw 2 young girls watching with eyes wide open. I love that look on a child, so I had some fun with them... as I juggled I would "drop" one of the balls, making sure it landed in their direction. The youngest went running for it and then brought it back to me to continue my play. As she handed it to me I said "Spaciba!" and she said "Pazhulsta!". Thank you and you're welcome in Russian. She would hand me the ball and then run back to her "spot" to watch. Eventually I would start 'dropping' 2 balls at once and the girls would scatter, giggling the whole time. As I finished up my playtime with them, I learned they were sisters named Irina and Maria.
As I continued my walkabout, I saw a young girl about the age of 4 as I was coming down the escalator. She smiled and waved and I did the same. I then decided to go up the escalator and continue in a circle coming down the same escalator a few minutes later. She was chatting with her mom when she noticed me the 2nd time. She jumped up, big smile on her face, and waved fanatically at me. I did the same. I continued this circle a few more times, looking for her face and reaction as I came down. Her reaction was delightful and different every time! My heart blooms with those kinds of interactions. Pure joy with a simple connection.
My favorite interaction was my last. I came across this young boy, about 5, riding his scooter towards me. A little mullet haircut and a huge devious smile. I could tell he would be fun. We played for a while, with his mom and grandma watching and laughing at him. I showed him a few of my tricks and toys. He wanted to show me his, so he reached inside his mom's bag and pulled out a toy car. We played with that a few minutes, then he reached in and pulled out another toy, and so on. After a few toys, he started pulling out pieces of paper and explaining to me (in Russian) what it was. Of course I didn't understand a single word he was saying, but I could tell he was excited about it so I nodded enthusiastically and said "Da" every now and then. That seemed to do the trick. After a few more minutes I waved goodbye and continued walking. My plane was delayed 45 minutes, so I came across him again and we played some more... and some more... and some more. We couldn't get enough of each other I guess. Finally his mom and grandma told him they had to go to their plane. As they were leaving I winked at the mom and grandma and blew them a kiss. They both smiled lovingly at me. The young boy saw me blow this kiss to his mom, so he came running back to me and gave me a big hug AND a kiss on the cheek! So sweet!!! I will never forget him. I thought he told me his name was Sasha, but when I said "Paka Sasha", his mom told me his name was actually Ilya! Ilya is my friend, Maria's husband, who died a few years ago. It is a common name in Russia, but it still made our connection feel even stronger!!
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| Ilya speeding his way to me! |
If you like to travel, like I do, I recommend having fun with it. If you don't like to travel, but have to, I recommend trying to have fun with it! :0). You don't have to dress up as a clown. Just bring a toy or a puppet or something else you like to have fun doing. Maybe knitting? And interact with someone around you using what you brought. Maybe even put on a nose, if you are so willing? But you don't have to. People everywhere just love to laugh and smile and play, especially when they are in an airport waiting for a plane. Tell me your stories!
Now Go Out and Hug Someone in an Airport Today!!!
