A Day with an OFW

This is my friend Olive. She is a public school teacher in San Mateo, San Francisco, US. I am so honored to have spent one entire day with her before she left for the States again.

She called me one Thursday afternoon to ask a very huge and urgent favor. She needed me for some paperwork required for her to fly back to US. So I told her, "I don't have all the requirements now." But from what we were able to obtain that day with mistrials with the office fax machine and the urgency of her request, her brother Levi picking me up from the office in a huffle, arriving in that office in the nick of time, we were able to have the documents partially processed. (Which is good considering we were only there for like an hour). She asked me if I could go with her again the next day. Again I say yes but half the day only. I had a meeting waiting for me at 3 pm.

The following day, we met at McDonald's ATC (such a famous meeting place for most people) had some hot chocolate and went to go to Ortigas to finalize the documents. That finalization took us ALL DAY!!! Signatures weren't required until about 2:30 in the afternoon. I was in a spot where I ask myself "To the meeting or Stay with Olive?" The latter question won. I realized that if I left my friend now and all the hassles of paperwork were left to her, cuffing her in this country for the next month, then I would be left at fault here. And besides, I wouldn't be able to see her for the entire year and a half. So I decided to stay and HELL to the meeting. This is my friend we are talking about!!!

So at that point, Olive also wanted to throw all the lounge chairs. She needed to meet with her flight agent to get her ticket. The office closes at 5:30 pm and at 5:25 pm, we were still in that office, waiting for the final documents to be released. But favor of God upon all of us, the agent waited for us.

To cut the flight of adventures short, Olive met with her agent, paid for the tickets, relaxed and went to US the following evening. She was so grateful for all the help I gave that she said, "Don't buy the glam bag. I'll send you one through Kuya Levi." But then again, this is my last opportunity to speak up. I said, "Never mind the bag. When I visit you next year, I want us to have front seats in a David Cook performance"

So til this day, even if David Cook doesn't come to the Philippines for a concert, I will see him and Olive next year. (David will be so busy with his Declaration Tour until Apil 2009. The concert will have to be in May or June.) I am excited!!!