Getting off of the plane

I promise that eventually time will speed up as I recount life from last year.

BUT!

Here is how I got off of the plane. They told me about the ramps, customs and process for getting off the plane, which is of course, ridiculously easy. I don't remember customs or the passport stamps or checking my visa, but I know all of those things happened.

I was just trying to pay attention to the airport. It was mostly how I expected it, things smelled different and not so good. And it was a little dirty.

Truly, I'm not trying to bash on the Philippines here. The people in Philippines are way better than most of us, truly, but it is not a first world country.

So I strolled myself and my 3 suitcases and 45 azillion carry-ons through the airport and did as Tim suggested. Take a deep breath of the steamy, humid air.
Steamy yes. Humid, yes. Not really like the midwest at all.

Tim is the coworker who was going to pick me up at the airport. I was arriving at about 1030 PM, which is basically when everyone else is going to work (We worked from 10AM -6AM, through the middle of the night). We'd last talked the week before about my arrival, which was midday Thursday. And I didn't see Tim.
And I didn't see Tim.
And I crossed the street with all my crap and walked around, with no luck. And there were no other international exit terminals.
And so I walked myself to the taxi and overpaid, even though I knew that would happen. I think my trip for a 30 min cab ride was about $27 dollars. Which is too expensive.

Got to the hotel and checked in. They asked me all kinds of questions I couldn't answer: What time do you want your room cleaned? was the hardest.
I just wanted to check in and take a shower for work, but instead I kept letting them take 400 photocopies of my passport and credit card and then got to my room, where I logged into the wifi and updated my facebook status. It was something along the lines of "I am in Manila, safely, at the hotel."

Of course, Tim was frantically looking for me , checking to see if I missed the flight in Narita, and they were happy to know that I was safe. I took a fast shower and ran to the lobby.

Tim took me to Starbucks, where we learned that it IS NOT A 24 hour starbucks. So if you want caffeine after 2AM, you're stuck. No can do. I figured coffee would be my friend early on, so I took it and ran.

Got the tour of the office, which was really confusing to me. They told me it was just a big square, and it was, but I was too tired and confused to really understand. I met my class, gave away the presents quickly and realized...I didn't have enough presents.
And then I went back to the hotel to get settled in, after breakfast.

I realize now this was a pretty lame entry. But it was scary--and I didnt even mention the first impressions of the country.