So how did it go? let me do a recap.
when my family dropped me off at the airport, said our short goodbyes (we're not really a very affectionate family, maybe that's why i never was comfortable with intimacy) went in for the first set of bag xrays.
tangina ambigat ng bag ko. but other than that, it went fine.
then when it came to the baggage check in, i didn't realize there was a mini-interview setup before you can proceed. "what's the purpose of your stay there? who are you staying with? for how long?"
uhmm, ok wasn't ready for that, but i think i did fine.
went to the counter, i asked if it was ok to hand-carry my tripod and snorkle set. the man from behind the counter called his boss. apparently, i can't bring my tripod with me, baka daw manghampas ako. shiyet.
we tried putting it inside my bag, uhmmm, mahaba mashado.
so we decided to tape it to my traveling bag. and since they asked to unlock the luggage (for some reason, they had everything unlocked, pero in fairness, everything is intact.) used the locks to secure the tripod. (coz that's worth more than my clothes. hehe)
anyway. went to immigration. another guy. asked me where im staying, told him im staying with an aunt. he asked what creative officer meant. i had to do a little explain. i think he got amused my me, explaining quite animatedly, with my chin barely seen at the window. haha! anyway, got in fine.
before entering the gates, another ambush interview. another guy. asked me where im going. im not sure whether he was asking about my destination or the gate i need to be, so i answered both. he checked my passport and gestured for me to go on.
before entering the waiting area, had to do another run of bagagge check, xray and all, had to take off my shoes again. anyway, since there was no line it went on smoothly. so there i was at a little after 5, waiting for a 6pm boarding.
once in the plane, i was seated beside an american, he must be in his 30s. anyway, he started to talk to me about his trip in the phils. how he met with his gf, how he got lost on his way to caloocan from makati. for a while, it was ok, but as the story go longer and longer, i thought, oh god? will i get to sleep or will this guy talk for the whole 10 hours?
good thing there where alot of empty seats, the flight attendant announced that we can spread out to make the flight more comfortable.i told him i wanted to move to a window seat. ehehe! but i dont think he took it the wrong way.
so yeah, i slept the whole way, well except for the first hour, coz you know,im kinda hungry, soi waited for them to serve dinner. after that i took the capsule ms johny gave me to help me sleep (thaanks so much ms johny!) and woke up a few minutes before we started our decend. just in time for breakfast. hahahaha!
anyway, this was the part that i was fearing the most. the infamous immigration. i tried to contact my mom's friend, checking if they arrived already since their flight from manila got delayed.
so we rode the wiki wiki (hehe, astig, pero shuttle lang sya actually) to the main airport bldg. when we got the immigration, it was practically empty. so i was in a sort of panic.
where are they?
asked a lady whther korean air has already arrived, she told me all korean air flights were done, and directed me to one of the booths. tried to text through my phone, but another lady said that was not allowed. yikes!
this is it, its now or never! i thought. if they question me too much, im gonna pinch myself and cry. hahahahaha!
as i was approaching the booths, one male officer called me towards his booth. i was thinking, please, please, please let this be an omen. men had been good to me the whole time, please let him be the same!
so i gave him all my papers, he gave back my ticket, checked my form and passport, did some writing, and i was there, sweating like a pig in a fully airconditioned room, waiting for the interogation to start.
"who lives here" he said, pointing at the address i indicated on my form.
"my aunt" i said, waiting for a followup question.
*kplank* *kplank*
"your right finger on the red scensor..then your right"
i obliged, waiting for the long interview.
then...
he just gave me my passport back. just like that.
i wanted to ask, is there any other question you'd like to ask me? but i decided to just...stare?hahaha, i counted like 3 counts inside my head, then i decided, that's really it. im in!
and i checked my passport.
Dec 2, 2008
this. is. my. day. :)
+++
so after the drama inside my head, met up with my friend, settled in. he took me to the mall, which was small compared to the ones back home. then took me to a grocery to buy some stuff. then we went back, drank a little, then went to walmart (ye! im a walmart virgin no more! hahahaha!) got myself a polarizer and UV filter for $20 (not bad right for 2 filters) and an under water cam for another $11. nyehehehehe!
gotta say, had a nice day one. tomorrow, we're going to the beach. and im gonna leave pebbles on our tracks coz my friend says that we can just take a bike to go there, and the public library, and the store, and the park...oh yeaaaaah!!
sinong excited? hahahahahaha!
