Sunday, September 30, 2007

Eh-hum # 202

Yesterday, I experienced the longest four hours in my life.

My flight was delayed, and I arrived at the NAIA Terminal 2 at 1:45 pm Philippine time. It took me a while to find my luggage, thanks to all the confusion that was going on around me. Ahhhh, yes, I am indeed in Manila, a city that is completely different from Kobe. Since I only slept for around three hours before leaving the residence/dormitory, my head was throbbing like crazy. The noisy and crowded airport (the arrival area, at least) was not helping either. I was on the verge on declaring it a very bad day, when I saw a familiar face in the crowd. My dad's. And suddenly, I felt like crying.

And I did. I lost it when I saw my mother, who hugged me, and my brother who went out and helped me with my luggage. I remembered not crying when they dropped me off at the departure area exactly one year ago. Maybe it was relief, or that I did not realize how much I missed my family until I saw them again yesterday. One year was not that long and it amazes me how fast it all went by. But I guess one year alone in a foreign country is a big deal. There's nothing like having your family within arm's reach.

Despite of the traffic, the pollution, the endless bad news on TV, I can honestly say I am so happy to be back.

There's more. The kitchen that evening was a sight to behold. And then, my cousins came over and we had dinner together. It was crazy...and it only gets better.

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