diversion road

i've been taking doses of perseverance and patience on my academics and it's helping me too, to divert my attention to forget something/someone that i should forget. /sighs/

PH to HNL

yes, nasa pilipinas na po ako, halos 3 weeks na rin. i went home to finish pharmacy, sayang naman kasi yung 3 years na inilaan ko sa pag-aaral. 1 year to go, gagraduate na talaga ako, at magtatrabaho bilang cashier ng walmart, or target. seryuso, pero ang plano ko talaga maging pharmacy assistant sa cvs pharmacy, mag-iipon muna ng pera pang take ng american pharmacy board exam. plano pa lang naman. i spoil too much info about my plans, baka kasi hindi matuloy, takot rin akong hindi matuloy ang mga plano at gusto ko. of course,  i just won't be talking about my dreams and plans here, i want to share my 1-month experience in the cold and friendly country of united states of america.

DEPARTURE: may 3, 2012 Manila International Airport, Philippines

my flight to hawaii was scheduled at 8pm, i was at the MIA around 4pm. as i entered, my tears are so ready to fall, why? first, i can't find the Hawaiian Airlines counter check-in, second, i can barely see Filipinos, most passengers were foreigners, it was awkward for me to talk to them in english, third, i was really scared, imagine that was my first solo flight and take note, international flight that would take me 18 hours air travel and take note again, i have motion sickness.

after check-in, it was my time again to look for this immigration counter, i was soooo ready to cry again because i can't find it, luckily, thanks for my reading skills and enough guts, i found it. i fall in line, i held my passport and some terminal fees to pay. and the usual random baggage inspection happened.

ENPLANED: may 3 or 4, 2012 inside the plane

my seatmate was an american, i've been talking in english awkwardly, because i've been trying to be so "slang" to fit in. but i still failed. haha. everything went on so smoothly, (praise You oh Lord!), just a little dizziness after taking off. the food was great, except for the hawaiian-filipino flight attendant who i think is unfriendly. so maldita-looking.

ARRIVAL: may 3, 2012 hawaii time 12 noon, honolullu international airport

when we were getting out of the airplane, the first thing i noticed was the very cold air that has been striking me, it's 12 noon to be exact, but i can still feel cold even though i was wearing a blazer, jeans and socks. 

i was welcomed by a border protection officer and an immigrant officer. i showed them all the files from the us embassy including the passport and the like. i stayed for an hour to get me approved. my flight to las vegas was at 3pm, and it's almost 1:15 pm, i panicked. luckily, this friendly and nice custom officer taught me the airport direction and the terminal where i should be checking-in, that was a relief. but i was just 1% relieved actually. 

DEPARTURE TO LAS :when i entered the terminal 3 building, another sweaty moment (like what i experienced at MIA) happened. where the hell was the check-in counter of hawaiian airlines bound to las vegas? i filled myself with guts and confidence to talk to some fellow passengers, "excuse me ma'am, i have this boarding pass already i got from the phil airport, so do i need to check-in again?", and they replied "haaaaaaaaaaaaa? noooo noooo english". i think they were japanese or koreans.  i was so down already. i can't even ask some airport staff because they're all busy and have been entertaining some Qs from passengers too. but a utility man answered my question. i got in and had my baggage and myself for inspection. another problem arose. where was the boarding gate? i later found out that you need to take a bus to get to another building-the boarding gates. at the bus, another sweaty moment again, i was so nervous, i was the only Filipino passenger. when we were enplaned, my seatmates were japanese, at my back were also japanese, there were also some noisy teen americans and i've been so jealous because they have plenty of food and what's left for me was 3 crackers of skyflakes, i was so really really hungry that time because i did not eat lunch. (i did not each lunch because i'm scared to buy, not really to buy but to pay using dollars! hahahahaahhaha). but thank God, after 30 minutes complimentary snacks and meals were served. i was happy because i filled my tummy, and i don't like their food. pasta with curry sauce? ugh, very bad for me.

i'll post about my arrival in las vegas and experiences in famous casinos/hotels, in los angeles and my shopping in san francisco aaaaaaaand stepping foot to los angeles airport aka LAX!

bye for now.