Airports I've Landed On

there are those who look at airports as just airports, just a passageway from one place to another... but i look at airport as a microcosm of community. gone are the days when airports are just "stopovers"... it now has a life of its own, bustling with many people from different countries passing by the airport for different purposes, and some can be really life-changing!

my first international flight was to HK in 1998, so we landed at hongkong international airport. it was so huge for a first timer, and i thought, airports can be sooooo intimidating. your first time will always be memorable ;)

Now, let me trace back all the airports i've been to:
- Changi airport, Singapore
- Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, going to singapore
- Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, going to Jakarta, Indonesia
- Dubai International Airport which felt like second home-airport to me, following our NAIA
- Carthage International Airport, Tunis, Tunisia
- Doha International Airport, Qatar
- Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca, Morocco
- Frankfurt Airport, Germany
- Amsterdam Airport Schipol, Netherlands
- Suvarnhabumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand
- JFK International Airport, New York, US
- Port Columbus International Airport, Ohio, US
- Detroit Internationa Airport, US
- O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, US
- Orlando International Airport, Florida, US
- Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky International Airport, US
- MSP International Airport, Minnesota, US

Not all landings have registed in my very capable memory, nor in my handy digicams. But there are some details that are etched in my mind, either because it is so nice, or so infamously terrible!

1. I was unpleasantly suprised at the JFK airport. very chaotic! Line was so loong at immigration, of course, I missed my flight to Cincinnati! And there was a typhoon that evening so all flights were cancelled for the next day! Good thing, I have Malou, Lex and Gabby (churchmates) in NY and they adopted me for that evening and even chauffered me to the airport the next day! ;)

2. I liked the 'econolighting' of the Frankfurt airport. LCD lights were beamed unto steel ceilings so the lights are effectively scattered even with just few lights on. talk about efficiency eh? Yes, I noticed that because I stayed there for 6 hours! what to do yani!

3. I liked the serenity and calmness of Cincinnati and Columbus Aiport. And here is where all the really 'white people' are in! Most of them sport simple running shoes and simple clothes.

4. I like the customer-friendly signs at HK, Dubai at Changi airports. And it's ok for me to have a stopover there for more than 3 hours coz there is just so much to do... and see... and buy! I am also amused by the fashion parade in these places.

5. I do not like the $3 per cart in most US airports... and we hated NAIA when they started charging?
6. I liked the view from the top when landing at Amsterdam Airport-- super picturesque! Plains draped with nicely lined and uniformly colored crops.
7. I liked the view from the top going to MSP because it is the first time i saw a place all covered with snow! ;)

8. Mohammed V really reminds me so much of NAIA! and hey, that was were i had been infamously left by the plane... uh huh! and that was because i do not speak arabic nor french, huhu!

9. Oh, I was so surprised i was intervied by a Filipino passport control officer at... Orlando Airport! Very welcoming!
10. I cannot forget how for all the entries and exits i did in US, i was always "the chosen" one ... SSS... that is, more disriminate screening. hmm, must be my passport?

11. I will not forget too how i kinda lost my composure at Detroit International Airport, when I realized I did not pass thru any immigration and I am already going out of US! I spoke with Immigration Officer asking for stamp, but he said not needed, and I spoke with KLM boarding officer, and I spoke with other people! Hmm, now i realized, when you go out of US, there is no immigration! Just give the white piece of paper to the airline guy when you are boarding the plane! plain and simple. saves manpower.

Did you know that when I was planning my recent trip to US, included in the factor were the stopovers ;) next time, i wanna have a stopover in London, France and Italy... hmmm

Despite all these landings into the differently-charaterized airports, the NAIA airport has its own enigma to me--- of course, that's where my home is! ;)

The Day I got my US Visa

for the longest time, i have always had it in my mind that i would like to go to US- the land flowing with milk & honey, the land where the pasture is greener....

when i started working in dubai, people have always prodded me to get my US visa from dubai because it is easier. but year after year, i've always found a reason to delay doing it... either it coincides with my trip to philippines, or my time in dubai does not permit, or many other reason i create to dilly-dally the process.

until this march 2008, with resolve, i told myself, "it's now or never". so i went online and started to go thru the tedious process of compiling documents to fill up the appointment form. my main reason then was for the convention that i will be attending on november. so i got a june appointment because i was thinking that july-sept, i would be in and out of morocco for our project. i got a june 29 appointment.

by first week of june, i was already nervous. what if i do not get it? what if they ask a lot of questions which i do not know how to answer? what if? what if???? david calmed me by saying "it is in God's hand. just be honest and give it your best shot." i felt comforted.

the day came that i had to line up as early as 6am outside the US consulate building in dubai. i lifted it all up to Him. many of the decisions does not come with a hard and fast rule anyways. so after all the security checks and document checks, i had come face-to-face with the consul. well, what i remember is that he is not as terrifying as how others perceive them to be. just poker-faced. part of the job i guess.

he just asked me the following questions after looking at my bank statements:
- what are you going to do in US
- how long have you been staying in the UAE?
- how long have you been staying in your company?
- what is your position and how much is your salary?
- have you been to another western/european country before?

that was it! and i got a piece of paper that says i got a visa! no need to look into our company profile, my list of suppliers to meet up with, and other documents i prepared "just in case"... at that point, i do not know yet what kind of visa, is it one time visa, 5-yr or 10 yr? but it doesn't matter, the important thing was, i got a visa! praise God!

and the best part was, when i got my passport4 days after, it was 10 year multiple entry, B1/B2!

so when did i first use it? august 15, when i visited david and his family in kentucky while he was there vacationing too! isn't it nice how God makes all these things to fall into the right place? amazing!

and yes, last november 14, i went to the convention which was my primary purpose of getting the visa....

you will never really know if you will get one or not. Mano got a mulitple entry even when she said that her husband is there working. one friend did not get it even if all the directions point to a her getting one...

so do not burden yourself with so much thinking with things that are out of your control. the only thing is... God knows ;)