No place like home: Tips for dealing with homesickness

Tears at the NAIA

I am finally checking in for my return flight to Los Angeles. It is Sunday, December 2nd and the NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) in Manila, looks deceptively crowded from the outside. Mainly as families and friends seeing their loved ones off to another world insist on staying till the very last minute prior to departure to drink the last dregs of a fare thee well.

Perhaps this is what perpetuates the myth of needing to be there four hours prior to your international flight, which I frankly never felt was credible or necessary. But my Dad used to insist, and when I was much younger, this was simply part of the ritualistic excitement of getting ready to go somewhere overseas.

This visit to home is a broken one. Broken because I am. I have not lived here in 14 years and in those 14, I have returned only 4 times. I am not so cold-hearted to distance myself from my origins instead I had been fortunate enough that family had always been able to travel to see me instead of the other way around.

When I came in for this trip I was overwhelmed by home-sickness. I had recently parted with a man I consider my beloved the pain of course is acute and blinding. As the plane approached Manila, all I could wonder was, where is home?

This was home, but not completely. Home, as they say, is where the heart is.

And my heart in this situation had been moved away, both by distance and circumstance. There was nothing I could do but go somewhere to lick my wounds while in the care of a loving sister. Such was and is my fate.

Now, after 10 days, I was leaving again. This time, the goodbyes were more emotional, fragile and strong at the same time. Poignant because not so long ago, this was a ritual I shared with my beloved, saying be safe, take care, and watching, smiling as either one of us went on our way and knowing each would be there upon the others return. The no longer is haunting.

I waited in line to check in and watched all the overseas workers milling about, getting themselves and their documents ready. Gold on many fingers, cell phones ringing obnoxiously, a lot of nervousness for their return to many other countries were they would serve or perform.

I recalled my sister mentioning a somewhat sarcastically written article by a local writer deriding some of the aspects of travel while in the company of the OSWs (overseas workers). I never read it. But apparently, it mentioned some of the

Travel destination:Angeles City, Philippines

Angeles is a city mirroring two images; that of the beauty of nature and that of the glitter and glamor of city life. If you’re bound for the Philippines, then it is one city that you should visit.

Location:

The city is located in Region III, north of Manila / NCR (National Capitol Region), Philippines. It is more or less 80 kilometers from the Capital.

Access:

From the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), one can take an airport taxi to nearby bus stations ( Victory Liner, Rabbit, Dagupan Bus lines most buses going up north pass by Dau the entry point to Angeles City.) The Victory Liner is the most comfortable, based on the author’s experience. Only the Rabbit Bus lines however, has a station inside the city. For the other buses, a stop over is usually done at Dau which is a jeepney- ride away from Angeles. There are ordinary buses and air con buses which offer affordable prices .

Private cars could be rented and taxis from the airport could bring you directly to Angeles, but it would be more expensive than the bus fares.

If you decide to take the bus until Dau, then you could ride a jeepney from Dau to Angeles. You have to walk though, the short distance from the bus station to the jeenpney stop. If you’re totally new to the city, a taxi ride from the NAIA Airport provided by legitimate and certified airport taxis should be utilized.

The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) is situated also inside Clark Freeport, (which was previously the US Clark Air Base.) Travelers from different entry points could now land directly at the airport. Flights from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia , Incheon Korea, Singapore, Hongkong and Thailand are quite affordable.

For first time-travelers, it is not advisable to hail a taxi outside of the airport for these are no longer covered by airport rules and may not be guaranteed for your personal safety. Accidents can happen in any part of the world no matter what safety precautions are in place if you don’t travel wisely. One could easily be lost in the crowded, metropolitan mazes.

Within Angeles city, jeepneys and tricycles are readily available.

Recommended places to visit:

If you’re a nature enthusiast, the remains of Mt. Pinatubo would be a good place to go. The remains of the eruption in 1991 are still indelibly etched on the landscape. The oldest house-Pamintuan’s residence found at Sto. Rosario St. could be a treat for you. The intricate designs of the house reflect

Philippines – The Pearl Of The Orient

The Republic of the Philippines has two international gateway cities – Manila and Cebu. Manila is served by the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, which handles more than 30 foreign airlines flying to different destinations in the world whereas Cebu, the Queen City of the South, handles regular flights from Japan, Australia, Singapore and Guam including charter flights to Hong Kong, the United States and other major travel destinations at the Mactan International Airport.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) is the country’s flag carrier linking Manila to 26 cities in 19 countries; it also flies to principal cities and towns all over the archipelago. The country’s airports and seaports serve major international carriers and cruise liners.

ENTRY REGULATIONS

All visitors with valid passports can enter the Philippines without a visa and can stay for 21 days provided they have tickets for onward journey to other international destinations with the exception of stateless persons and those from countries with no diplomatic relations with the Philippines. Hong Kong and Taiwan passports holders require have special permits, which they can obtain from Philippine embassies and consulates.

CLIMATE

There are only two seasons in the Philippines, wet and dry. The dry season generally begins from March up to May, with temperatures from 22-32 degrees Centigrade. The rainy season (wet) begins from June and lasts up to October. From the months of November to February, the country generally has cool temperatures ranging from 22-28 degrees Centigrade. The Philippines average humidity throughout the year is 77%.

LANGUAGE

The Philippines’ national language is Filipino, however, English is also an official language and widely spoken and is extensively used in business and government. Major dialects are Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinan

CURRENCY

Unit of currency is the Philippine Peso (PhP) and the current exchange rate to the US Dollar is $1 = Php 52.20.

DOMESTIC TRANSPORT

Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Air Philippines, Pacific Airways and Asian Spirit provide daily services to and from most local destinations in the Philippines.

Inter-island ships connect Manila to major ports and there are ferry services, which connect the Philippines’ smaller islands. You can even travel the length of the Philippines by road, crossing the inter-island connections via the recently established Roll-On – Roll-Off system.

Jeepneys and buses are inexpensive ways of getting around most places anywhere in the country. For a faster commute, there is the elevated Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit I and II systems.

COMMUNICATIONS FACILITIES

International Direct Dial Country Code = 63.

Fixed Lines = 3,437,500

Mobile Cellular = 32,935,900

International direct dialing, telex, facsimile, worldwide express delivery, postal service and telegraph service services are available in most areas all over the country.

Cellular providers in the Philippines are on the GSM 900/1800 band and are served by Smart (Talk n Text, Addict Mobile, Infinity) Digitel and Globe (Globe Platinum, Globe Handyphone, Touch Mobile, Smart and Globe telecommunications have 3GSM service while Digitel is soon to follow.

They each have their own type of calling cards and phone cards available in the market ranging in value from Php100 to PhP1,000. PLDT recently launched their multi-use Pwede Card which can be used for fixed line calling and loading prepaid value in their cellular phones. The card is also reloadable in value at any PLDT or Smart business center and accredited agents.###

Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from PHILIPPINES.