Hello Pilipinas

On September 16th, Nafisah and I arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Despite the lengthy four-hour wait, we were relieved to finally land. After disembarking, we promptly retrieved our luggage before proceeding to the immigration station to state our reason for visiting. However, I encountered a slight setback when briefly detained due to my difficulty hearing the officer's instructions. The officer spoke in a low voice and became angry. She instructed me to turn around and obtain the travel tax, though I need clarification on what that entails. Fortunately, Nafisah cleared immigration and approached me to inquire about the situation. I explained that I had been detained for non-compliance with the officer's instructions, and she directed me to the same station she had gone through. I explained that I had been arrested for non-compliance with the officer's education, and she led me to the same station she had gone through. Following Nafisah's advice, I entered the station, and she directed me to the same station she had gone through. 

Finally, I passed through immigration and was contacted by one of the teachers at SLU, Ms. Theresita. She asked if I had arrived and where I was positioned, as Ms. Theresita had someone to pick me up. I informed Ms. Theresita that I was outside immigration and needed to use the restroom due to the long duration of my flight. After we finished, Ms. Theresita contacted me. We were directed to Bay 6 by Mam Theresita's contact. Upon arrival, we met Mam Bay, set to pick us up from the airport. We were only able to proceed with our plans once they appeared. Mam Bay informed us of the delay caused by the arrival of other Indonesian students attending the SLU program. I had initially assumed that we would be the only representatives of Indonesia enrolled in the program. We waited about 30 minutes until Hilya, Reza, Meiri, and Hana suddenly arrived. They were the other Indonesian students we were waiting for. Previously, I had assumed that we were on different flights.

We got to know each other before boarding our bus. We left Manila for a six-hour journey to reach SLU in Baguio City. During the trip, we took a break and rested at a rest area near the highway. At the rest area, we dined at a Jollibee restaurant to taste authentic Filipino cuisine. We each ordered chicken, but we were hesitant to try other dishes due to our fear of pork being included. After completing our meal, we resumed our trip towards Baguio City. Later on, we made the necessary arrangements for the continuation of our journey. Due to jetlag, I dozed off and woke up an hour later to discover we were still on the highway. We took another break to enable some of us to access the restroom. During refueling, we spotted a vendor selling a Filipino delicacy, tupig, by the roadside. Tupig has a sugary yet adhesive flavor comparable to some treats in Indonesia. We indulged in it as we waited to reach Baguio.

Finally, our prolonged wait stopped when we arrived in Baguio City. After checking into the dorm, we were warmly greeted by our acquaintances Kenneth and Farhanie. In addition to them, we were accompanied by our friends from Vietnam, Alex, Mus, Ting, Jasmine, and Annie, and our friends from Indonesia, Kevin and Puja. Subsequently, we proceeded to carry our bulky luggage and march straightway to our room, 504, which was situated on the fifth floor of the dormitory that had no elevator. They arrived ahead of us. Upon reaching our door, we unpacked all our belongings before lunch. Mam Bay is waiting for us on the ground floor, necessitating our prompt departure to meet her. She inquired about our preferred lunch, and we suggested McDonald's. We proceeded to the restaurant for takeout, as we were too fatigued to dine there. Following lunch, we resumed unpacking and rested, both due to our arduous journey. Kenneth informed us that dinner was forthcoming and advised us to join him and Kurt at a restaurant near the session road. After arriving at the restaurant, we selected the fish fillet dish. While dining, we exchanged our experiences in Indonesia with them. After finishing our meal, we retired to the dormitory for rest.