Smells Like Mothballs

hi bloG! how are you naman?

haha! been caught up with work so much lately kaya no updating of blog came about within the past few months. and besides, nothing much is happening to me thats worth chronicling. (di ko kinaya yung word nayun ah) except that just last week, me and my officemate sab, went to the US embassy to apply for a visa for us to be able to attend the training that Ethan Allen will be having at Danbury, Connecticut. (just like what Dianne & Shella went through a couple of weeks ago. its a 2-week training, and then a 5-day extension sa new york, but that's for leisure na! YEEKEE!!) Syempre, of all the ordinary days we have in a year, tlgang September 11 pa kami nasched for an interview. and its a terrible anniversary for the americans to relive dba?

and so we went there. sab was early, so she got in line ahead of me. i arrived just in time for the screening of passports before people enter. it was drizzling that day. so syempre ako naka black polo, tucked in sa slacks, pero may hawak na bulaklaking umbrella. (perfect look for issuance of a visa!) tapos, in a couple of minutes, sab went out of the line, to where im standing, saying her photos may be invalid coz one of her ear was being covered by her hair. so rush muna sya sa nearest fotome booth... actually there are vulture photographers waiting na for innocent preys na hindi inaaccept yung mga id nila. you can see them clustering in one corner waiting for people seeking help. kaya yun bayad sya 200 for her id..pero was able to get back the line on time. so we went inside... deposited our cellphones.. screened by guards and went to the waiting area. as our passports being checked, sab's passport was rejected since it has a mild defect on the lamination. so from there, she has to go pa to DFA pa. so, as shocked as we both are, we were separated early that day! not knowing how to deal with the rest of the time we have.

ako i proceeded na to the waiting area where you are suppose to wait (duh?) for your number to be called. and after minutes of fidgeting cold feet, my number was finally flashed. and so I went to the finger scanning booth na. the american girl behind the booth was speaking in tagalog. she was repeatedly saying "keh-lee-weh" which is suppose to mean kaliwa, or use daw my left hand first. she was repeatedly speaking in that manner so it was funny listening to her uttering those words.."keh-lee-weh" so placed my left index finger to the scanner and was questioned: "what's wrong with your fingers?" (apparently she could not read my finger prints) ako naman sabi ko "skin allergies ma'am" and she replied "hmmm..let me see" and so she reached out through the hole on the glass and looked at my finger. she told me: "hmmm.. well its clear enough for me to let it go... but take good care of your fingers ok?" ako naman was like "WHEW!" just when I thought i would be rejected from that point palang. so i was happy she considered me. (di bale, i will take my fingers to a "finger spa"... if there is such a place!) haha!

so after that funny moment.. i went to the US consul booths na... (which was like the heaven's gate for me) not knowing if i will achieve salvation or suffer the fires of hell. so from that stage i was without a doubt.."a nervous wreck". so I sat on the far back side of the waiting area... behind a post where i cant see the numbers being flashed. so everytime may nagaalarm... i have to stand up and take a look at the numbers... so upo tayo ako ng upo tayo.. making me look like the most nervous person in that room!! and so, nagflash na number ko saying proceed to "window 4". hoping i will get to meet an angel looking consul who looks positive in approving me, rather than an old looking evil woman, who has been in the embassy for centuries and will be grilling me like hell. but fortunately, it was a young fat white girl with curly blonde hair, who looks... hmm.. nice enough. so she started questioning me like "what is the purpose of my stay...what is a visual merchandiser..what is focus global" they ask questions that you wouldn't expect, so there isnt really a perfect way of preparing for this. I was able to answer straight forward and truthfully naman... (which is the key of getting a bigger chance of approval) so the lady halted the interview and stood up. ako naman was like... (ok? WHATS HAPPENING?) and then I realized, a solemn prayer pala was being played thrugh the speakers and they were having a silent moment of tribute to the 9/11 anniversary. and so i also bowed down, (pretending I am also a US citizen deeply contemplating for that moment) but inside me was a screaming monster shouting "APPROVED NA BAKO OH HINDI??" and so after the prayer the lady told me: "we were just commemorating the anniversary of the september 11 attacks" ako naman said "yes ma'am i understand that!" and after that, the lady was discussing to me na the next step after that..proceed na daw to the next booth, handing me this yellow form (which was like the golden ticket in american idol) and to schedule na daw a date for the delivery of my visa. kaya ako naman ecstatic (nagttumbling nako sa isip ko!) but i cannot show it at that moment so I discreetly went out the room carrying my pink floral umbrella.

when i was walking to the parking area which was beside manila bay.. i was saying "USA HERE I COME!) but a part of me was also saying "SAB!!! ASAN KA NA!!??? WAAAH!!" so when I got home, I called sab na agad, asked if she was able to go to DFA na and fix everything. she said yes, but her passport will be issued not later this week pa, and so she has to reschedule another interview. so ako was feeling half happy, yet half anxious pa! hopefully if sab got it all right, we will be leaving na this october 9. and besides, like what we were thinking before our interview... we prefer to be denied together, than to be approved alone!! waaaah!!!! still keeping my fingers crossed.