Sometimes we have to leave our family behind to give them a better life. Even if it means living alone in a foreign country. For Blythe, it's like hitting two birds with one stone. It's her desire to go to New York, and working in the city that neve...
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It was only a two-hour-flight from NAIA to Taiyuan Airport. I had this worst experience from being short. I couldn't reach my carry on bag. I was ready to leave it in the overhead bin when a tall kid helped me. I was relieved. The airport was so big and I didn't know where to go. I kind of waited to follow fellow Filipino and glad I found one. He said we have to take the train going to a different station. It was so complicated but we got there. It's a 4 hours layover and I found few Filipino to hang out with while waiting for our next flight. It was around 2:00PM when I started to feel hungry, the problem was, I only had dollars in me. I had $300 pocket money. That includes my cab fare when I get to New York going to my hotel accommodation. Anyway, my new found friend helped me find a foreign exchange and I was able to eat a burger, which I didn't really like. I think Jollibee was the base standard burger for me.
It was almost 5:00PM when they changed our gate number, not only from one but to two different ones. They also said our flight was going to be delayed - AGAIN!! I was already exhausted and I just wanted to sleep. I haven't had any decent sleep for more than 24 hours and all I want to do is lay down.
They opened the gate at 7:00PM and it's going to be a 14-hour-flight to New York. I was sitting by the window again, and it was a three seater. Just a piece of advice, when you're going to have a long flight, don't pick the ones by the window. It's going to be tough going to the bathroom. I was sitting next to a Taiwanese couple. They also mistaken me as Chinese, but it was okay.
The first 5 minutes upon taking off I felt butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to get off. The sound of the engine's giving me a migraine. I couldn't even sleep nor watch or listen to anything because the loud engine noise dominates the whole thing. All I could see from the window were darkness and the plane wing.
It was the longest 14 hours of my life. We got to New York at 8:00PM Eastern Standard Time, but because there was no available gate open, we had to wait for another hour before we landed. I was actually kind of happy, because it was also the first day of snow, apart from my first time seeing snow. It was so beautiful. Everything was white.
I went through immigration and all and by the time I was done it was already 11:00PM. I used the airport's WiFi to message my mom that I got to the airport safe. The agency's instruction was to take a cab going to the hotel. I'll meet their staffs at the hotel first thing in the morning before the deployment. As soon as I got my bags I called a cab. It wasn't hard because they're already lined up outside.
I put my bags in the trunk of the cab. Geez, the driver wasn't even gentleman. "Where are you heading?" He asked as soon as I got in the car.
I took my phone out to check the address. "Aliz Hotel Time Square in Midtown Manhattan." I replied to him, then I showed him my phone and he just nodded. He started the meter and I just sat back in the back seat. I was so tired and hungry as well. I was actually debating if I'm going to sleep or eat first when I get to the hotel. It's almost an hour drive from JFK airport to the hotel. I wanted to take a nap but I fought it because I wanted to enjoy the city. At first there's really nothing to see. But as we entered the highway, there are tall buildings and bright lights. Slowly, it started to sink in that I am not in the Philippines anymore.
