I talked to John early this month, agreed to fly first week of June, was asked if I could fly a week earlier, next thing I know, I was packing my bags and saying my goodbyes.
05.26 6:03am PHT
My family drove me to the airport. It didn't really felt like I'd be gone for a long time. I was actually sadder when I first got deployed to New York. Isang beses pa lang, sanay agad?! Haha.
Unfortunately, the first leg of my flight got delayed due to some mechanical problems. And I'm not just talking about a few hours delay. My 8am flight was postponed to 3pm! That's seven @#%$ hours!! Called my mom to inform them of the situation. She asked if I wanted them to get me, to grab some breakfast or something. I told her that it's fine, wasn't feeling hungry anyway.
05.26 8:37am PHT
We were given free accommodation at Remington Hotel. I had sausage and egg for breakfast, then I just stayed at my room to rest. Wanted to get some sleep but didn't want to get left behind so I just watched some TV.
05.26 12:14pm PHT
Back to the airport. Needless to say, I was going to miss all my connecting flights. Talked to one of the ground stewardess about my concern. She told me that there's nothing she could do about it and that the rebooking of my flights would be handled by the Narita team. She apologized and handed me a $100 voucher for all the trouble. One of the passengers told me that I could refuse the voucher and demand for a seat upgrade instead. But I don't think I have enough spunk to contend with her.
05.26 2:33pm PHT
Boarded the plane to Narita. Got myself a window seat in the exit row. Fell asleep even before the plane took off but was jolted awake by the aroma of food. Hehe. Had milkfish, rice and macaroni salad. Watched Brave for half an hour then went back to my sweet slumber.
05.26 8:30pm JST
When we arrived at Narita airport, all passengers with connecting flights were grouped by destination. This is when I met Nanay Vivian. I just had to vent my frustration and she seemed like a willing listener. Hehe. They first processed those headed to New York. An hour later, 'twas finally my turn. Earliest available flight to Los Angeles was at 3:55pm the following day via American Airlines. Bummer. Now that things got worse, I couldn't wait for the "it gets better" part.
05.26 10:42pm JST
We stayed the night at Radisson Hotel. Shared the room with Nanay Vivian. The receptionist told us to grab a quick dinner before heading to our rooms since the buffet would soon close, to which we gladly obliged. Loaded my plate with fish, pasta and fried potatoes. After eating, we retreated to our room. She shared a lot of stories about her life in the US, most of which dated back to the '70s. We were both yawning a lot but she was on a roll. When I heard a very brief moment of silence..
Me: "Nay, gusto nio po ba lights off sa pagtulog?"
Nanay Vivian: "Ay oo, hindi ako nakakatulog kapag maliwanag e."
Lights off it is.
05.27 7:21am JST
Nanay Vivian was up early. Wanted to sleep some more but she was making a lot of noise with the hair dryer. After freshening up, we headed to the breakfast buffet. Really enjoyed the chocolate-filled croissant that I also slathered with sinful Nutella. Sweet! Hehe.
We then walked around the hotel to let the food digest a bit and to take some photos.
05.27 12:24pm JST
Rode a shuttle to Narita Airport. Nanay Vivian had set foot in this airport when she visited her son before. So she just sat and patiently waited at the lobby while I explored as much of the airport as I could in 30 minutes. There were little shops selling kawaii stuff and a lot of Japanese restaurants, one of which had sushi as big as my fist and ebi tempura as long as my arm!
05.27 2:52pm JST
After all the hassle, I was finally aboard a California-bound plane. Browsed through the in-flight entertainment offered by AA. The collection of movies wasn't as extensive as Delta's but enough to keep me entertained for a few hours. Two movies after, I still had a long flight ahead of me. With nothing better to do, I just leaned back and floated off into my own little world.
05.27 10:00am PDT
Arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. Nanay Vivian thanked me for helping her carry her luggage since we met each other in Japan. She told me to give her a call if I ever visit Las Vegas and she'll gladly show me around.
05.27 12:05pm PDT
Finally on my last leg. Two more hours to go and I'd be in San Diego.
05.27 1:57pm PDT
Derick and his dad met me at the San Diego International Airport Commuter Terminal. I'm very thankful that they were there to pick me up. Derick, Jhe and I used to just imagine ourselves being deployed in the US at the same time. Now we're here. For real. And in a week, Jhe would be here too. Who would've thought?
I'm very excited but at the same time, a part of me is scared shitless. What if I don't meet my boss' expectations? What if I feel overwhelmed? What if I don't deliver? What if I miss home? Will I be fine? Waah! But there's no going back now, is there?
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