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11:00 AM, June 24, 2003
Eleven o’clock rolled around and I told Niña it was time for me to leave. She grasped my hand really hard and tried to convince me to sit for a while longer. While I wanted to be there with her, I was feeling anxious about the trip as well as being a little worried about the amount of time her uncle had taken off of work to be there to see me off. I asked Niña to walk me up to the glass doors that separate the visitor from the international traveler, and she did. We got to the doors, we looked at each other, she started to cry and I told her that I would see her soon, and talk to her even more soon. She insisted that I call her at least once a week (we have been on the phone several times per week since then and on line every night as usual). I gave her a big hug, squeezed her tight and told her I loved her. She squeezed me back, we broke our embrace, and I went through the doors into the international flight area. I turned around to see if she was still standing there, watching me go – but she had turned and was walking away. I could tell she was crying. My heart sank.
As I approached the secure area as I did before, I was stopped at a health check station which was previously unoccupied to have my temperature taken. This took me a bit by surprise considering I had been through here less than an hour before and I wasn’t stopped to get my temperature taken. This was just one of many times it would happen, so I just stood there as they probed my ear and said thanks.
After going through security again, I went and retrieved my ticket. I handed them this plastic card, they asked for my passport, and then handed me my boarding pass. After paying my exit fee of $1500 pesos I handed the receipt for that to a person standing about 4 feet away from the desk at the door controlling immigration, so I went on to immigration.
The person at the immigration desk was at least cordial this time. Last time, they didn’t speak a word. This time, at least the woman said hello. I went through immigration, they stamped my passport, and I went to my gate. The Cebu airport is NOT a big airport, so it wasn’t difficult at all to find my gate. Two strange things though – once I got to the gate, there was ANOTHER security checkpoint and another health inspection. The health inspection wasn’t that much of a surprise considering how paranoid everyone is about SARS, but another x-ray of my bags and another metal detector – then, they inspected every carry on bag by hand. I cooperated of course, but I was just surprised that they were doing that. The other thing that I thought was strange was once you entered this waiting area for your flight, you can’t leave – and there were no rest room (comfort room) facilities here. I was wondering what would happen if I came down with a sudden bout of diarrhea – the flight wasn’t for another hour and 15 minutes and there was no place to go. Fortunately, it didn’t happen – but what if. So, if you are reading this and you are traveling on Cathay Pacific from Cebu to Hong Kong, make sure you use the comfort room before you get to your gate.
I sat at the gate for the next hour – thinking about and reflecting upon my time with Niña, thinking about Cebu and my experience. Thinking about creating this web site; and dreading the flight home.
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