Our US Circle in 30 Days
Saturday, September 24, 2011After a few months, I am again discovering a foreign country. American may not seem so foreign because the Philippines has a lot of American...
Saturday, September 24, 2011
After a few months, I am again discovering a foreign country. American may not seem so foreign because the Philippines has a lot of American influence already. But still, seeing and talking to Americans day by day is really foreign to me. It is something that I am not used to. Yet, I feel at peace here..
I am starting to write a day-by-day blog in order to jot down every detail of this trip. I want to remember this forever because this may happen once and never again. Only God knows.
1st Destination: California, here we come!
Sept 19 * Day 1
Namamahay and jet lag in one.
Sept 20 * Day 2
Recalling the sleep that I had a few hours ago, I couldn’t imagine myself taking a walk along Venice Beach. At 7:30 AM, Ate Carla, Tito Arnel and I left our beds while Mom was still sleeping pretty in hers. We drove downtown to Venice Beach wherein I saw so many beautiful houses and more and more people doing their thing.
There was one thing that I
really noticed and still bothers me until now. There were lots of homeless
people. I am already aware that California contains homeless people. My favourite
band Switchfoot has already opened my eyes on this one when they started Stand
Up For Kids in San Diego. But seeing them face to face and getting to interact with them just
by looking through their eyes is a lot different. My cousin said some of them
still have money for they receive money from the government even though they do
not have a home. I couldn’t help but compare it to the Philippines’ situation
regarding homeless people. In our country, homeless people are usually people
who have no homes, no money... nothing. But here in America, homeless people
have no homes but some of them still have money to buy food, clothes, and other
needs such as a pack of cigarette. It didn’t draw me to any conclusion to the
problem but I feel compassion towards these underserved people and particularly
our world—what it is, what it does, and what it will become.
Before taking our baths, we decided to swim. But the water was so cold that we ended up soaking our feet into the water and taking some pictures.
Sabine had the evening planned
out. We drove to Glendale, Santa Monica. The drive was not supposed to be long
but we encountered a really bad traffic jam because of an accident on the road.
Plus, there were really so many people going our way that we arrived at
Glendale around 9 PM already. Our stomachs were so empty. During the whole
ride, we just kept talking about a lot of stuff concerning our lives and the
lives of our friends. We dined at The Cheesecake Factory wherein we got excited
with eating. We had a table outside and there was a heater beside us which
turned out to be suffocating our faces a bit. HAHA. We both ordered pasta and a
slice of cheesecake afterwards. The servings were so big that we didn’t even
finish any of our orders. The dancing fountain was a beauty to behold. Sabine
even caught me staring at it with dreamy eyes. I was so disappointed for
leaving the SD card of my camera at home so I really didn’t have any good
pictures. But Sabine asked the waiter to take pictures of us so it was fine. By
the way, the black waiter was really funny and nice. People here in America are
really nicer than I thought. Sabine paid for everything. Thank you, Wish*!
Hihi.
I still woke up today in LA. Ate Carla and I woke up a little late but we still had some time to go around town and take some pictures. The weather was warmer because the sun has already risen. Still, the winds were still cool.
We roamed around Sony Pictures, as in literally! We didn’t go inside because there is a price ticket for every show attended. But walking around and talking about stuffs were pretty fine.. plus a good exercise too! Sadly, we didn’t see anyone famous. Ate Carla said even though the y have been living in LA for two to five years, they still haven’t seen a famous actor or actress. Where have they gone?
We went home to eat lunch with
our parents. Ate Carla was the cook once again! She really cooks well! She
prepared Pompano fish and tomatoes with bagoong
salad. I felt like I was eating at the Philippines. I missed it!
The
lines at the immigration were very long. All of our belongings were screened
though no problem rose up. We had a hassle-free immigration this time. Waiting
for boarding time, which happened to be 4:10 PM, was longer than I thought. It
was the most boring moment so far. All I did was people watching. Eventually, we
boarded our plane, Virgin America, which turned out to be very modern, clean,
and simple. There was a small television in front of the seat, a detachable remote
control on the seat handle, and a table. They also said it has free wi-fi but
it didn’t work in my phone. It requires me to pay for it. I also didn't get to sleep much because of the structure of the seat. I think it wasn't really made for long hour travels. We got a 3-hour travel time.
I am starting to write a day-by-day blog in order to jot down every detail of this trip. I want to remember this forever because this may happen once and never again. Only God knows.
1st Destination: California, here we come!
Sept 19 * Day 1
Dad was home early to drive Mom
and me to NAIA Terminal 3. Paul was left to look after the home and Luke
already went to school. We bid the pets goodbye. I knew I’m really going to
miss home.
The traffic was already visible
when we left home at 6:30 p.m. I spent my time in the car sending text messages
to my friends. My friend Hannah even called me and shared some really nice
insights which she learned from Pastor Caloy during the Singles Getaway. I
totally dwell into it for it has a great impact to what was about to happen in
my journey.
Next, I got to talk to my
cousin ate Timmy which will also be leaving home to work in a foreign country.
We already miss each other so much and we had many things going on in our lives
that we had no time to meet up. Because we were using Sun, our calls were disconnected
at times. We arrived at the airport at past 8 PM already. When we were in the
line checking in our bags, I called ate Timmy again and Mom ate Timmy’s mom whom we call “Mama.” It was funny because
we really couldn’t hang up until Mom and I had to check in our bags. As I’m
writing this, I already miss my cousin so bad. My good friend, Jaymie also called
me while we were about to enter immigration but I told her I’m going to call
her back because we were still busy. I didn’t get to call her anymore but I
texted her goodbye.
In the immigration, I had an
extremely haggard time. The woman in the computer screen asked me to set aside
my backpack. Two men were inspecting it and one of them was totally rummaging
through it. I was already covering up the liquids that I brought. They even
wanted to get my Clinique Happy Heart perfume which they allowed for me to
keep. But this nosy officer didn’t stop inspecting and kept looking inside my
bag. He brought out my Human Nature conditioner and told me that I had to leave it
behind. The other nicer officer told me to transfer it to a zip lock bag. Good
thing my Mom had one empty and ready in her bag! I was really about to let it
all go and leave my precious conditioner behind but the officer helped me in
transferring it. The fact that I had to put all my liquids inside
the check-in bag totally left my mind. My bad, really. The woman officer even reminded
me, “Next time, travel smart” with a
smile. Oh-my-god. I could smack her face. HAHAHA.
When we arrived at the waiting
area, there was still one more immigration stop before we can finally be free. We
had to leave all our hand carry bags behind to be inspected again. And not to
mention, remove the shoes! We still had to wait for 30-minutes or so before we
can finally board the plane. My Mom even encountered some rude AmFil guys (?)
who called her b*#@# because they thought we cut in the line. We didn’t really
cut in for there were no lines at all. When the flight seats were called, everyone
came out from nowhere and followed the people. Those guys couldn’t really wait
to get in.
The flight was approximately 12
hours. There was a small television in front of my seat, a detachable remote control in the seat handle, a table, a foot rest, and a pillow. But unfortunately,
my seat was really jammed pack because of my backpack and camera travel bag. Still,
I got to do a lot of things. I listened to Adele’s album “ “ and then watched LOTR.
The dinner arrived so I ate fish with an egg dessert, bread with butter, juice
and water. After eating, I resumed with watching another movie called “Prom”
which I really didn’t like. I couldn’t stand the main character! So I switched
with Hairspray which I have fully finished. The breakfast arrived after that
and I just had longganisa with salad, peach dessert, bread with butter,
butterscotch, tea, juice, and water. After that, I slept for a longer time
until it is time for me to pack up, go to the toilet, and go down the plane.
Additionally, Mom and I met a
very nice woman named Tita Lan who lives in LA. We told each other many things
about our families and of course, our main goals why we were going to the US.
She told me that I looked very young and I am still very young so I still have to enjoy life. She said I should not rush things, especially on love life
because if I am going to study in a university here in the US, I am surely
going to meet someone. She said this is a great opportunity for me and I should
just go on with it.
We arrived past 10 PM at Los
Angeles International Airport (LAX). At the immigration, we lined up for a long
time again. One weird thing happened when a Chinese woman suddenly went to the
officer and started speaking Chinese in a very high-pitched (not to mention
annoying) voice. The officer kept telling her that he doesn’t speak Chinese and
that she should go back to the line first. But the woman wanted to be
understood so she went out of the line and roamed away. The officer exclaimed, “Where
is she going?” Haha! I was a little afraid to talk to an officer but it was a
good thing that my Mom was with me. The officer that we talked with was very
nice and bubbly. He was totally conversing with us for he even shared some very
interesting things about himself. He said he studied Spanish in high school and
how he could still use it in his job now. At the baggage claim, Mom had a hard
time finding her luggage because she didn’t memorize its look. It was circling
round and round the pool of luggages and we were one of the few people who were
still looking for our luggages.
When we got to the airport
lobby, I saw a very familiar face. I kept asking myself if this guy was the one
I saw in YouTube but I think it was really him. He was the guy in this Strangers, again video.
Tito
Arnel and ate Carla picked us up. My first impression of LA was “The REAL Subic
or Olongapo..” I was not so amazed or awed by it though I was really happy to
be here. I am not sure if the
reason why I liked it was because I was staying with my family/relatives or the
place really had a good impression on me. The
Talens brought us to their apartment in Motor Avenue. Ate Carla prepared delicious
homemade foods for us: chicken with tomato sauce and couscous which a tiny pasta made of dough along with green onions,
tomatoes, and etc that matches well with
the main dish. We talked about our trips and life in general. Then we surfed in
the internet in order to book our flights. We were totally surprised that the flights
available were highly priced already so we had to book the lowest price from
Boston to Nevada right away. We decided not to book the flight from Chicago to
Boston this time. We were hoping there would be a lower priced flight the next
day. In order to pay for the flights, we had to drive down to Chase and deposit
money in ate Carla’s credit card. It was a bit chilly in LA at night so I had
to borrow a thicker jacket from ate Carla.
When we got back, we just arranged
our things and prepared ourselves to sleep. We were able to sleep at around 1
AM. I really didn’t sleep deeply for I woke up around 2:58 a.m. and then I was
awake until 5:58 a.m. There were two straight hours when I just laid on my bed
wondering about things, closing my eyes, and hoping I could finally doze off...
Namamahay and jet lag in one.
Sept 20 * Day 2
Recalling the sleep that I had a few hours ago, I couldn’t imagine myself taking a walk along Venice Beach. At 7:30 AM, Ate Carla, Tito Arnel and I left our beds while Mom was still sleeping pretty in hers. We drove downtown to Venice Beach wherein I saw so many beautiful houses and more and more people doing their thing.
After roaming around the
streets and houses along Venice Beach, we drove home and Mom was so excited to
tell us that she found a very cheap flight to Boston. We booked it right away
and they left me at home because they had to go to Chase once again and also
buy the T-mobile sim card for $49.95 which we can use for unlimited calls and
text within the U.S. and unlimited texting to Philippines. As for me, I stayed
at home and surfed around the internet for awhile. I arranged my meetings with
two people in a university in Massachussets so I was pretty psyched. God is moving...
Before taking our baths, we decided to swim. But the water was so cold that we ended up soaking our feet into the water and taking some pictures.
 |
| Meet ate Carla, my cousin |
Tonight, I arranged to meet
Sabine, my high school kabarkada in UPIS. It has been a year or more since I
last saw her. Though she was going home this November, we still wanted to see
each other and bond. Why waste the opportunity in a different country, right? I
almost forgot about this when we were on our way to Staples and Ross. Mom had
to print out her report at Staples and buy a new luggage at Ross. Sabine drove
straight to Ross and I could not believe my eyes when I saw her. I felt like
saying, “Is this real?” And then I let her meet my Mom and my cousin. Then we
bid them goodbye.
 |
| I missed you so much, Sabine! |
 |
| Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake Cheesecake |
After eating, Sabine and I went
to H&M. I was thinking of buying a coat because it was so cold already but
I stopped myself. We even walked to Target and found a very good Mossimo coat but
I didn’t buy it. My Mom might be disappointed at me if I did because I wouldn’t
be able to use it in the Philippines anyway.
The drive home in the freeway
was much faster. Sabine and I just continued talking and laughing. I missed her
really. We used to do a lot of good stuff together when we were in high school.
When we got to my cousin’s place, Sabine lent me her gray jacket. I told her I
had to get it from her so that we will really see each other again in October.
The Judith was the one who
welcomed me in when I arrived at the apartment. We were so happy to see each
other again after 8 long years! She kept saying ganda ganda, nagiba mukha!,
pang model, and pwede magartista! You know what I told her, “I love you tita!” And
she said, “I love you too!” HAHAHA.
Mom told me that the word of
the university I’m eyeing on is “diversity.” It has been confirmed many times
that this opportunity is possible for me. Though I’m still kind of afraid, ate
Carla assured me to try instead of not trying and wondering about the what ifs.
I wouldn’t lose anything. So my confidence has been going up lately. I’m really
thankful for the advices people are giving me.
I slept much better tonight. I
didn’t grab Mom’s hand anymore. LOL. Though I was still rising up when the
sound of cars in the freeway were so loud, I still managed to have a good
sleep.
I have overcome my namamahay and jet lag when I’m leaving LA
already..
Sept 21 * Day 3
First of all, happy happy
birthday to my late grandmother, Nanay!
I still woke up today in LA. Ate Carla and I woke up a little late but we still had some time to go around town and take some pictures. The weather was warmer because the sun has already risen. Still, the winds were still cool.
We roamed around Sony Pictures, as in literally! We didn’t go inside because there is a price ticket for every show attended. But walking around and talking about stuffs were pretty fine.. plus a good exercise too! Sadly, we didn’t see anyone famous. Ate Carla said even though the y have been living in LA for two to five years, they still haven’t seen a famous actor or actress. Where have they gone?
 |
| Packages, where have you gone? |
We packed our bags and Ate Carla and Tito Arnel drove us to the airport. We planned to meet again in early October because Ate Carla
and I still have a Switchfoot with Anberlin concert to watch. Waaah, I really hope she does come with me! Thanks to the Talens family for everything! They were our first set of kindred spirits here. <3
At the airport, the
receptionist at the check in counter was Spanish. She was very sharp looking
and unfriendly. Knowing my Mom, she gave her a killer look though she didn’t
say anything. This actually changed my perspective that all American citizens
are friendly. Well, I believe at least most of ‘em.
Next stop in the US circle: Chicago, Illinois!
