The Looowww Down

Well, by now you probably know I made it safely to my destination, Davao City, Mindanao, Philippines on Friday afternoon. I thought I would summarize my trip, so you know how it went! (NOTE: Summarize is a figurative term, so you might have to break for an intermission every so often! I also apologize for the grammatical errors contained in this here post!) So, here goes:

I spent most of Wednesday, packing and getting ready to go. Beth and Blake made me breakfast in the morning, and the three of us enjoyed spending one of our last meals together. Beth was a huge help with packing, as there were times when I felt at a loss of where to start. It's overwhelming to try to pack when you're going to be gone for nearly 9 months, and you have a weight limit of 50lbs eaceh on the two pieces of luggage you can check.

We got to spend time as a family in the afternoon, in sort of a disjointed way. Packing was the priority, since we had to leave the house no later than 5pm. I said my final goodbye to Chloe, and we were off. Had to make a stop at Costco on the way to the airport, but we made it to the airport with just enough time to get checked in, grab a bite to eat at Wendy's, take a few pictures, and say goodbye. As excited as I was about this opportunity, walking away from my beloved family was one of the most emotional things I've ever had to do. I'm not ashamed to say I'm 25 and I miss my mommy! :) I miss the rest of my fam too!!! Anyway, I'm hoping the security guards didn't think I was blowing kisses at them!!!

Waited about 15-20 minutes at the gate before I boarded the plane bound for LAX. Very uneventful flight, and I think we may have even landed a little ahead of schedule. Anyway, got off the plane, and I decided probably the smartest thing was to follow everyone else. Looking, looking, looking, but not seeing any sign of where you have to go to check in for an international flight. So, I asked, and was directed to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. This was the biggest, most confusing airport terminal I've ever seen. I finally found where I had to get in line to check in for my China Airlines flight, along with about 100 other passengers. Unfortunately, I was at the back of the line, so had a long wait ahead of me. Good thing I had 2hrs before my flight was scheduled to leave.

Well, while I was standing in line, an airport employee was walking along the line asking if any of us were bound for Manila. Well, I was, so he pulled me out of the line (figuratively, not literally), and took me up to the counter. The customer service lady told me the flight was overbooked, so they were looking for passengers who would be willing to fly on a Malaysia Airlines flight that would get into Taipei only 10 minutes later than the China Airlines flight. Initially I said no, but then she told me I would end up in the middle of the middle section for the 14hr flight. That got my attention, so I said yes.

An agent took me to the Malaysia Airlines counter, so they could get me checked in. This is where I would encounter my first two potential travel hiccups. The agent asked to see my return tickets. When you travel to the Philippines, you are only allowed to stay 21 days, but my return ticket is for October (even though I'm not coming home until December). The airlines can get fined if they don't enforce this, so there was a chance I would have to book a flight home within those 21 days and then cancel it once I was through checking in. So, I was praying my little heart out that somehow the Lord would intervene, and He did. The agent looked at it, said okay, and handed it back to me. Relief! Then, they weren't sure if China Airlines would be able to get my bags transferred to the Malaysia plane in time. Fast forward>>> as we were getting ready to board, I went up to the counter and was told they'd gotten my bags. Relief again!!! Went through security, found my gate, and had about 30 minutes before we boarded.

The planes weren't that nice, plus it was pretty cramped, but I had the window seat and there was an open seat between me and the other lady. I didn't sleep that well, only dozing between meals than seemed to be brought out as soon as they'd picked up the trays from the previous meal. I watched the sun chase us over the East China Sea, and praised in my heart our Creator who clearly has a knack for creating beautiful things. As we landed in Taipei at about 6am local time, I realized this was the first time my feet had ever touched foreign soil!!! Exciting to say the least.

One of the advantages to being willing to switch flights (besides the fact I didn't have to wait in line after-all) was that the China airlines agent checked me in for my Taipei to Manila flight. So, when I landed in Taipei I only had to find a restroom and gate A9. Boarded the plane, took off for a short hop south (1hr and 45 minutes) to Manila!

As most of you know, I was really nervous about my transition in Manila. So, I'd been praying that the Lord would guide my steps and show me where to go. I got off the plane, and saw a lady holding a sign. Now, I usually don't pay much attention to those signs because it's usually a company rep. picking up a business client. However, seeing my name at the bottom of her poster kind of caught my attention. I walked up to her and told her my name is Briana, and she proceeded to tell me I needed to go to the Transfer desk. So, I followed the signs that said Transfer Desk, until I came to the, yep, you guessed it, Transfer Desk. She told me I need to go through Immigration and then pick up my luggage at the baggage claim area. I asked her where to pick up a taxi to the domestic airport, and she pointed it out to me. Talk about having your steps directed. God had given me exactly what I had asked for. Again, relief and a greatful heart.

My next hiccup came when I overheard the Customs Agent ask the girl two people ahead of me how long she would be staying. Panic!!! Again, praying my little heart out for the Lord to intervene. He did!!! She never asked me! God is so good to me.

Found a free cart for my enormous duffel bag and suitcase, and walked up to the carousel. As I walked up, my red duffel bag is winding it's way right to me, with my suitcase not far behind. Loaded up the cart and wrestled it out to where you get a taxi coupon. Got a taxi, and off we went to the domestic airport. It only cost 150 pesos, which is equal to $3 U.S. Dropped off at the curb, and a nice airport employee loaded up my bags, and pushed my cart up to the door. Went into the terminal, checked in... again, a hiccup. My bags are 20 kilos over the weight limit, so I had to go pay (can't recall how much, I was delirious at this point) before I could get my boarding pass.

Found my gate and we are supposed to board at 12:30pm, but at 12:50pm a lady announced that our plane is late and won't get into Manila until 1pm and we won't be departing until 2pm. I went into the restroom to wash my face, so you can imagine my surprise to have a male attendant hand me paper towels. Things are VERY different over here!!!

So, I'm waiting for the plane to get to the gate, and you can imagine my surprise when the lady announces boarding for my flight to Davao. Where are all the people and the plane??? Final hiccup! I found an agent and asked her about the boarding call. She made a call and wouldn't you know, we are supposed to be boarding at S2 now instead of S8. Somehow I missed that tidbit o' information. By now they're making the final boarding call, so I'm rushing down the concourse thinking wouldn't that just be the cats pajamas if I miss my final flight. I didn't miss it though, much to my relief. I had a window seat, so was able to take some really cool pics from the plane.

Landed in Davao, found a cart and my luggage, made my way outside, spotted Jenn (one of my preceptors) and Krysten (a new student I've been corresponding with for awhile.) Sigh, I MADE IT!!! Get in the clinic's ambulance (not like the kind we have at home), and off we head for my new home for the next 9 months. GOOD GRIEF!!! I just got here, and already my life is flashing before my eyes! There are no rules of the road here. You pass when you want, honk when someone's in your way, and keep going when you come to an intersection. It was a shock for sure, but now I'm kinda used to it.

Okay, that's enough for now. I fairly wrote a novel, and for that I apologize! Being brief has never been one of my strengths. I will write more later about what life's been like since I moved here. I love and miss you all!!!