As they say, all good things come to an end. This trip is no exception. It's been 2 weeks of interesting sights, sounds, tastes, and random stimuli that can only come from venturing away from a stale daily life. Its been great getting to meet Paz's family and her grandmother, Lola. All the new experiences in another country proved to be very rejuvenating; however, it's also been quite exhausting, and at this point, I'm ready to get home to my own bed. My spongey brain is dripping with cultural excess and needs some simpler times to dry out. We have an early flight, so we're up before the sun to get a jump on the day. In the car and on the road by 4:30am, we aren't expecting much in the way of traffic, so we forego the highway and take one last trek through town on the most direct route to the airport. Not so fast! We're suddenly ambushed by a traffic jam and there's no rhyme or reason to it. We are locked in a standstill on a regular city block in the middle of the night. After sitting parked for a couple minutes, we limp forward at less than idle speed to find people loitering and sitting in the middle of the street. They seem to be merchants or doing some sort of early morning trading. I can't believe they're all awake at this hour. Or maybe it's cuz I'm still half asleep. After trickling through the chaos, we again find a few clearer roads and reach the airport. Check in and security go pretty quick, but I can't help notice the long line specifically for Filipinos that are leaving to work internationally. They have to go through a special clearance that appears to take forever, but I guess the wages more than make up for the hassle. Thank goodness I have Paz to direct me where to go because I'm like a zombie in the morning. I don't even remember boarding and suddenly we're about to touch down in Japan. No time to check out Tokyo, just enough for a quick bathroom break. As we shuffle on to the next gate, I think about how cool it would be to unexpectedly run into some random person I know. My friend Brian pops into my head as he works in South Korea, uses this airport frequently, and is the only potential person I'd expect to see here. No dice, but it makes me realize that I'm craving my return home. After 12 or so grueling hours in the sky, we land back on U.S. soil. Detroit is not my home, but it has a familiar American vibe to it. My sense of comfort is temporarily put on hold as we still have one more flight to go. On top of that, people coming in from abroad get treated a bit different. You're forced to wait in long lines so they can verify your citizenship and officially let you back in to the country. These security guys are no joke. With the slightest glance, they have the ability to make you feel guilty of something. This wait is followed by more long lines when attempting to clear customs. Again, the officers ask very accusatory questions and carry themselves with an icy demeanor. Thankfully, our layover is a few hours because we need the time to go through the motions. On the jet for the last leg to Orlando and the sight of first class again reminds me of the cultural clash that I've been experiencing the last couple weeks. I was thinking that getting home would take me out of the situation, but when it all comes down to it, money, not location, is the true determining factor in 3rd world. To some the people of the Philippines, I may look like 1st class, but I suppose there's always someone higher up the food chain to make us feel a step below. To get my mind off it, I peer out at the setting sun and it brings me back to our last day there. Paz wanted to run, so we decided to get out and take in the sunset along Manila Bay. We head over to a nice area that reminds me of Santa Monica. There's a long waterfront lined with tall palms. Ships scattered across the bay. There are various vendors and horse drawn carriages. People walking, painting, rollerblading, biking, and just relaxing in the grassy areas waiting for mother nature to put on a show. We soak up the sights as we cruise bye and journey all the way to the US Embassy. Halfway back and we are compelled to pause a moment for the radiant sunset. The sky glows golden orange with red highlights. As the sun sinks further on the watery horizon, it fades to deep magenta and purple hues. Glancing around, I notice people from all walks of life. Homeless to the elite, locals to tourists, and babies to seniors all united by a common appreciation of a sight so pure and beautiful. And for a few brief moments, all the differences fade away... This is what it's all about.
