Travel

My US trip pictures (1996, 1998, 2006, 2011 and 2017)

As per continuation on my blog entitled Reminiscing the Good Old Days in America, this new blog of mine is about my journey in getting my visa. I will talk about the favored luck I had in getting my visa. Hope you like it and can get an idea on how to get one.

Getting a visa here in the Philippines is very hard even if you have a lot of money you can still be denied in the process of getting a visa. But in my application I declared fifty thousand in my bank account and I can say that I’m a lucky one it’s because I can easily get a visa even though I don’t have much resources I think because of my good credentials in terms of job and being part of the Philippine journalist is one of the factor why I get my visa easily.

Nowadays it’s really hard to get a visa, back in 2019 when I get mine I went to the embassy early in the morning it’s 4:30 am and I used to wait for a little more to process my visa and I’m just so lucky in the manner because I always end up being permitted. I have a lot of friends that got denied even though they already did their best in their bank statement, important documents and other stuff. I guess there’s no right formula on it, it takes luck to have one. In my case I always bring the necessary documents, bank certificates and they should find a reason for you to come back home in the Philippines. Like for me I am employed, maybe that’s one of the reasons I got easily accepted.

One of the reasons I went abroad was to travel, have my vacation and in the mere fact that my visa will soon expire. I took the initiative to use it and visit another country since I already retired on my job. My visa will just be effective for just 6 months before expiration. I decided to go to America. First I really want to stay in America for good and look for jobs that suit me but my visa will expire after 6 months and it will be illegal for me to stay longer. That’s why I go back to the Philippines and my mother always ask me to go back home and maybe it is really in God’s plan because I wouldn’t know what my life would be in America in this time of pandemic.

What I’ve learned from my experiences and journey, especially in taking up a visa is that it’s not always easy. You will be facing a lot of hurdles all throughout, there are documents that are incorrect and you will revise some of your papers and such. So you should always be ready. Indeed when getting a visa you should be thoughtful, also be polite, don’t talk when you are not asked, it’s not about how smart you are it’s about the dedication you put into and also be presentable so that they will approach you positively. Don’t be over acting, be honest on your documents and also don’t stay longer in the place you want to go because hassle will occur afterwards and I can tell it’s much more difficult to face that hassle. If I were you, enjoy your vacation and use it well but don’t overstay for you to prevent more interrogations in the embassy.

As I look back on my experiences before, this month marks a memorable thing that happened in my life. As I cherished the journey I had in the place called the Land of Free, America. This is my third year anniversary of the unforgettable travel I had in California, USA. The experience of going and visiting in another country will always be as fun and thrilling as you could imagine. It will provide you so much lesson and makes you realize the things that life has to offer.

Exactly three years ago I went to California USA to have my vacation, since I am already retired from my office job and for the mere reason that my visa will expire soon. That is why one year before my visa expired I already took an initiative to use it and had my vacation. I also decided to go to the USA to look for great opportunities that might help me to stay there for good. Nonetheless if there’s no way I can petition myself to stay I will choose to go back to the Philippines. I went there last 2017 up to April 2018 and my visa will expire in May 2018. I stayed in California, USA for almost 6 months and that was also the period of time given to me by the US immigration because if I exceeded my stay it will make me an illegal immigrant.

First, I stayed at my former officemate for more than two months. As the time went by I felt the discomfort and being unwanted. Her daughter even sometimes bad-mouthed me and I can’t even tell it to my officemate since I’m just making a favor of staying in their place. After that I also reside with my friend in college for 1 month but the thing is I also feel unwelcomed by her foreigner husband that’s why I leave there and decided to go to my relative’s place. I’m fine staying there but I can’t freely go out on my own, because they should accompany me every time I go out.

While staying in California I met my former officemate that convinced me to rent a room for my own. Since my savings is good enough to rent, so I’ve tried 2 months in bed space with two other people. It is worth two hundred fifty dollars a month. Almost all of the time, I am left alone in the room as my room mates work as a caregiver. Along with that I sometimes watch over in a room and look after in the elder that gives me one hundred fifty dollars per day.

Staying in the USA gives me a lot of experiences. You will learn a lot and meet different kinds of people. It is truly a free land and a lot of opportunities will be served by the place itself. Their salary amount is also very big enough that it can seduce you to stay and look for many opportunities. Indeed, California is really an expensive place. From the food, the hotel rooms, and even the transportation it will cost you a lot of money but in the end the unforgettable vacation I did there is truly worth it.

Thus, having a vacation in another country like the USA has a lot of consideration to make like in the place you will be staying. And staying in another place must be hard especially if you don’t have any friends or relatives that will help and accommodate you.If you want to have a good relationship you must establish a good character because you will need that especially in going to other places and you will be meeting a variety of people. Also if you want to stay longer in your relatives you must need to know basic household chores like cooking, cleaning and must initiate to work and present yourself to do the necessary chores so that they will also treat you well. Lastly, always be kind and thankful for all the things you have experienced. As I looked back to those good old days even if I encountered a lot of unwanted situations but still it left me with good thoughts and yearning to visit that place again.

For the next blog I will discuss about how to get a visa and what are the transaction needed for you to get one here in the Philippines. So you better keep in touch because my experiences in getting a visa will be soon uploaded.