Turista, Part Nine - Wrapping Up

Initially appeared on vox.com 8/12/2009.

The end was anticlimactic, as i've found many endings to be.

With neither family being a fan of long, drawn-out emotional goodbyes, we had a quiet dinner on the night before we left for the US.  As is usual for a first apo, Adrian was the focal point of the evening.  Eventually we did get around to snapping a full family picture, which - aside from a moderately informal one at our wedding - is the only one we have of both families together.  If i do say so myself - it does look pretty decent.

The actual trip back to Grand Rapids was nowhere near as exciting as the one to Manila; no delays aside from those expected at airports, and no surprises, and no more "accidental vacations."

(As an aside, to the Filipino travelers out there carrying H1B visas, don't forget to obtain an Overseas Employment Certificate from your local Philippine embassy.  For the cost of $5, it'll save you a substantial amount of money in taxes and fees when flying out of NAIA.  I forget the exact amount, but rest assured that if El Cheapo says so, it must be significant.)

Here's a few snapshots of the airport in Taiwan, and one from ORD waiting to fly back to GRR:

We returned to Grand Rapids on May 18th, 2009.  And the rest is history.

EPILOGUE

It's been almost three months since we got back to Grand Rapids, and things have gone back to normalcy.  I've gotten back into the groove of working in the hospital, Gianina is hard at work trying to get into an MBA program, and Adrian is busy wreaking havoc in his usual fashion.  In unrelated news, i am dutifully training for my half-marathon this October and Gianina is addicted to 5Ks.  All is well.

Reflecting on everything that went on during our nearly-three-week vacation, i am struck by how normal it felt to be back in the Philippines; how right everything seemed.  Despite the atrocious heat and humidity, the pollution, the ever-present traffic, and the rampant graft and corruption that always greeted me on the front page of the daily newspapers, walking on Philippine soil reminded me what it feels like to really belong.

I don't remember exactly when, but at one point right in the middle of our vacation Manang Vi inquired of me (in Tagalog, of course): "So - when are you going back home?"

"But where would we go?" i replied without missing a beat.  "We're already here."