Hi folks! I'm writing this from the warmth of our bed in San Jose, California. Yup! I'm finally where I'm supposed to be -- with my husband and truly starting our family life. :) While thinking of an appropriate title for this post, I couldn't help but smile and thank God for His goodness to me and my family. :) After all the prayers uttered by you, our family and friends, God in His good time has brought me here to be by my husband's side finally. That, I think, is one major concern that is now lifted from Junby's heart.
We arrived last night, around 9 pm SF time. Leaving the confines of the plane, I thought I had entered a fully air conditioned building, only to learn from Junby that that was how it actually is outside in SF! Brrrr....I'm blessed though since I arrive at the beginning of summer. Another blessing is that one side benefit of being pregnant is having a higher than my normal body temperature. So I think baby is keeping me warm din :P So much so I can walk around in silk pajamas and feet shod in warm socks puttering around our kitchen kanina putting things away, etc.
We were met at the airport by Josh, Junby's handsome cousin (oh, Josh pinupuri na kita dito!). We first went to the condo to drop off our luggage then Josh drove us to Ninang Liklik's home so Junby can pick up our car. We were supposed to do it quietly so as not to wake Tita Liklik and Tito but Tito was up so we chatted a bit, Junby and I raided Tita Liklik's ref for a late night meal and we were on our way home at about 1:30 in the morning :) Junby and I were still feeling awake since it was just afternoon in the Philippines but we hoped to sleep since Junby has work today, the poor dear.
There's a lot to fix up here at the condo but I'm excited as the realization that this is my home is slowly sinking in. How this home turns out is up to me and Junby. I have to remind myself though to take it easy this first day. After all, I am pregnant (I sometimes forget :P unless I see myself in a mirror :P) and I'm still supposed to be adjusting with jet lag and all. Though at the moment I don't feel tired but still best to keep at a slower pace :)
For the first time, I got to 'prepare' breakfast for Junby here at our own place. I say 'prepare' since I don't feel I really did anything since most of what we did for this morning was to microwave stuff :P That goes against my traditional view of cooking but since we don't have pots and pans and stuff like that I'm experiencing the American way of doing things :P. Hopefully sometime this week I can get myself some kitchenware and try my hand at real cooking. I'm nowhere near a good cook as my cousin J, but they all say it's practice and since Junby is committed to me for life, he has no choice. Hehehe.
Anyway, this post is getting quite long. Will take a nap now since its supposedly near to 1 am in the Philippines. Hope my husband is ok at work since he doesn't have the luxury of sleeping like I do. All in all, God is good indeed. All is Grace, don't you agree?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
Thank you for all your prayers!
Hello folks! Only now do I have the time and the opportunity to write off a quick post about my visa interview last May 13, 2008.
I left for Manila May 5, 2008 so that I can have my medical examination at St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic at Ermita early the next day. Come May 6, 2008 I went to SLMC with my mother-in-law, Mommy Ester. We got there at around 7 AM and there was already a long line of people filing in. I was number 132. I filled out the forms required and waited for my name to be called. After the form was assessed I had my picture taken then lined up to pay. As of this month, they had increased the fees from $182 to $213. Yup, that's right -- the fees were in dollars, but we had to pay in its peso equivalent. Ouch! It was in payment mostly for the vaccines that they required us to have. Though as it turns out, I wasn't given any vaccinations due to my pregnancy. Wonder if I could get a refund? Hehehe
Junby and I had decided not to avail of the x-ray they asked for, as part of our precaution for the baby's health but as the lady in charge of the x-ray lab explained to me, I could opt not to have an x-ray done now but instead wait until I give birth then have my x-ray done. The only catch was my medical records will not be released and will have to reschedule my visa interview to a later date -- meaning when I choose to have my x-ray done. Talk about choices. What sort of choice does that leave me then?! I was silently fuming at that. If anything happens to my baby and I can trace it to that x-ray procedure, God help that woman...grrr....Left with no choice I submitted myself to the x-ray procedure. They did have a shield of sorts for the abdomen but still, I can just pray that such exposure didn't harm the baby in any way. I was done by 3 pm. I was asked to go back the next day at 9 am to pick up the results, so we happily went home with the knowledge that at least the next day, all I had to do was pick up the results. Wrong.
May 7, 2008 was a wasted day for me. I got to SLMC extension clinic quarter to nine, dropped my receipt in the designated box and chose a seat to wait for my name to be called. Though there was a warning that our results will not be given out on a first come, first served basis but rather on the complexity of our medical case, I didn't expect to be sitting there until 3:30 pm only to hear my name being announced on the PA system to proceed to the immunization center. When I followed up and informed them that the physician who saw me the day before had already indicated I was not to receive any immunization shots, they told me to go back to the releasing area to wait for my name to be called...again. All in all, I finally got my x-ray plate and immunization record (which were the only ones they released to me, the rest of my medical records together with my passport and 2 pcs of 2x2 pics were going to be delivered to the US embassy by SLMC) at around 5:30 pm!?!?! Hayyyyy....good thing I went there on my own that second day. Kawawa naman ang mother-in-law ko if she accompanied me pa. I ended up making friends with the people to my right and my left after sitting there for the whole day, it seemed like a better option than silently fuming over the waste of my time there. :P
Junby had decided to come home to be with me during the visa interview and I was glad for his presence that day. We went to the US embassy and were at the gates by 6:40 having been advised to show up an hour before our scheduled interview at 7:30. There was already a line there but thankfully it moved quickly. I was impressed by the efficiency of how the folks at US embassy handled the crowds. Though our numbers weren't called in order, the turnover was quick. Good thing we had gone there having prepared our documents the day before so there was no need to scrounge around for all the different documents we were supposed to submit. We were done with the interview by 10:30 am. I remember telling myself not to smile too widely as we left the consular office where we were interviewed. Thank God the lady who interviewed us was quite pleasant. She just confirmed some details, looked at some of the photographs we submitted and pleasantly said there were no problems and my visa application was approved! Praise be to God!
Junby's presence there also helped, I guess. Both for me emotionally and for the consular officer and the pre-screening personnel. At the pre-screening the lady asked him to explain how he got to be in the US if we had met way back in college, etc. So all in all, it went well. Thank you for all your prayers! Now we are waiting for my visa to be delivered, which we hope to receive in the coming days and then its off to the US by the 26th God willing. So keep us in your prayers folks and thank you, thank you, thank you!
I left for Manila May 5, 2008 so that I can have my medical examination at St. Luke's Medical Center Extension Clinic at Ermita early the next day. Come May 6, 2008 I went to SLMC with my mother-in-law, Mommy Ester. We got there at around 7 AM and there was already a long line of people filing in. I was number 132. I filled out the forms required and waited for my name to be called. After the form was assessed I had my picture taken then lined up to pay. As of this month, they had increased the fees from $182 to $213. Yup, that's right -- the fees were in dollars, but we had to pay in its peso equivalent. Ouch! It was in payment mostly for the vaccines that they required us to have. Though as it turns out, I wasn't given any vaccinations due to my pregnancy. Wonder if I could get a refund? Hehehe
Junby and I had decided not to avail of the x-ray they asked for, as part of our precaution for the baby's health but as the lady in charge of the x-ray lab explained to me, I could opt not to have an x-ray done now but instead wait until I give birth then have my x-ray done. The only catch was my medical records will not be released and will have to reschedule my visa interview to a later date -- meaning when I choose to have my x-ray done. Talk about choices. What sort of choice does that leave me then?! I was silently fuming at that. If anything happens to my baby and I can trace it to that x-ray procedure, God help that woman...grrr....Left with no choice I submitted myself to the x-ray procedure. They did have a shield of sorts for the abdomen but still, I can just pray that such exposure didn't harm the baby in any way. I was done by 3 pm. I was asked to go back the next day at 9 am to pick up the results, so we happily went home with the knowledge that at least the next day, all I had to do was pick up the results. Wrong.
May 7, 2008 was a wasted day for me. I got to SLMC extension clinic quarter to nine, dropped my receipt in the designated box and chose a seat to wait for my name to be called. Though there was a warning that our results will not be given out on a first come, first served basis but rather on the complexity of our medical case, I didn't expect to be sitting there until 3:30 pm only to hear my name being announced on the PA system to proceed to the immunization center. When I followed up and informed them that the physician who saw me the day before had already indicated I was not to receive any immunization shots, they told me to go back to the releasing area to wait for my name to be called...again. All in all, I finally got my x-ray plate and immunization record (which were the only ones they released to me, the rest of my medical records together with my passport and 2 pcs of 2x2 pics were going to be delivered to the US embassy by SLMC) at around 5:30 pm!?!?! Hayyyyy....good thing I went there on my own that second day. Kawawa naman ang mother-in-law ko if she accompanied me pa. I ended up making friends with the people to my right and my left after sitting there for the whole day, it seemed like a better option than silently fuming over the waste of my time there. :P
Junby had decided to come home to be with me during the visa interview and I was glad for his presence that day. We went to the US embassy and were at the gates by 6:40 having been advised to show up an hour before our scheduled interview at 7:30. There was already a line there but thankfully it moved quickly. I was impressed by the efficiency of how the folks at US embassy handled the crowds. Though our numbers weren't called in order, the turnover was quick. Good thing we had gone there having prepared our documents the day before so there was no need to scrounge around for all the different documents we were supposed to submit. We were done with the interview by 10:30 am. I remember telling myself not to smile too widely as we left the consular office where we were interviewed. Thank God the lady who interviewed us was quite pleasant. She just confirmed some details, looked at some of the photographs we submitted and pleasantly said there were no problems and my visa application was approved! Praise be to God!
Junby's presence there also helped, I guess. Both for me emotionally and for the consular officer and the pre-screening personnel. At the pre-screening the lady asked him to explain how he got to be in the US if we had met way back in college, etc. So all in all, it went well. Thank you for all your prayers! Now we are waiting for my visa to be delivered, which we hope to receive in the coming days and then its off to the US by the 26th God willing. So keep us in your prayers folks and thank you, thank you, thank you!
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Songs from the past...
When I hear the strains of these songs, I am brought back to the times I spent lazy Sundays with Papa. These memories now are a comfort. . .
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