We’re finally back from the US and I’m already missing it. We arrived
last Wednesday. This was my best summer vacation EVER! I’ll never
forget it! We’ve been away for just a month and yet it seems like a few
things have changed here at home… I really wish we didn’t have to come
back so soon… I personally would’ve loved to stay there a bit longer if
it weren’t for our classes which start TOMORROW!
>>This is a pretty long read so brace yourselves!
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JULY 31 (Sunday)
We left Canada and arrived in America. The flight, including the
stop-over, took about 4 hours. The 3 of us (my bro, sis and I) were
assisted in the airport since we were unaccompanied minors, and our
escorts were surprisingly very
nice. The cool thing about being an unaccompanied minor is that you get
to go in the plane before all the other passengers.. and we were
assisted inside the plane by this nice man who talked to us and asked
us some questions…Our flight from Toronto to Detroit (stop-over) went
smoothly.. When we got to the Detroit airport, we were fetched by
another escort who had 2 boys with her (minors as well) and we were all
brought to this sort of kids room.. like a child care center.. the room
was kinda neat coz it had a TV, a collection of movies, toys, drawings
on the wall, small tables, a couple of PS2’s, snacks, etc. .. and there
were dozens of kids there…whites, blacks, and a number of
Asians…luckily, the 3 of us were already called for our flight (to
Atlanta) just as the room started getting crowded so we left the room
and followed our escort to our designated gate… When we got there, we
boarded the plane with some other kids.. there were exactly 7 of us
minors.. I felt sorry for this little boy who was also traveling alone
coz before we boarded the plane, he hugged his mother then started
crying when we were going down the ramp to the plane.. The stewardess
who watched us minors was so nice… we were even surprised when we found
out that she was half-filipino.. she didn’t look like one and she
definitely couldn’t speak tagalog.. she had brown hair and tanned skin
so I assumed she was Spanish…Then we finally arrived in Atlanta,
Georgia. When we got off the plane, our uncle spotted us easily, so we
got our bags and left the airport. Our uncle also arrived in Atlanta
that day ‘coz he still had to fly over from Washington (state).. He
probably arrived earlier than us though… Then the drive to their house
took about 20-30 minutes.. pretty far..so on the way, I was looking
around…there wasn’t much to see actually besides trees, grass, the
highway and more trees… it was so GREEN! So when we finally got to
their subdivision, I still couldn’t stop looking around.. They actually
have subdivisions there! hehe..Their house was quite big..the
subdivision looked so quiet though… the houses were far from each other
separated by trees, no cars passing by, no kids on the streets,
nothing…and the houses were made of wood.. plus there were too many mosquitoes..When we got out of the van,
there was this very distinct smell.. it wasn’t a bad smell ok… I can’t
describe it but the smell of the air was sooo good! It was just as I
remember from our first visit to the US.. the smell of America.. if
that’s what it really smells like..hehe
We were able to see our cousins Amanda and Michael… Amanda’s 13 yrs old
and Michael’s 7. Their mother is our mom’s sister and their dad is
American so they don’t really look 100% Filipino or 100% American… just
in between… Amanda has black hair while Michael has brown.. It took a
while before they started talking to us..of course they were shy..
especially Amanda… I noticed she kept on observing us (even upclose)
for 2 weeks before she got used to us…
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AUGUST 2 (Tuesday)
We left for Florida. It’s the state south of Georgia. Our uncle drove
the van with the help of a GPS (navigation device) to get us to Florida
while we “kids” watched some DVD’s.. The trip was 7 hours long… of
course there were stopovers… We got to the hotel at about 4:00 pm and
we just rested.. then we played some fun arcades near the hotel lobby..
We stayed in Florida for 5 days..
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AUGUST 3 (Wednesday)
We all had to wake up early coz we were going to Universal Studios!
There were too many people there and the sun was scorching hot
(literally) but we still had a great time. We were only able to go to
one part of the whole Universal Studios since it was huge.. we tried 7
rides.. most of which were ride shows.. if you’re wondering why only 7
rides.. well, waiting in line to get to the rides took most of our
time, plus it rained so hard in the afternoon so we had to wait for it
to stop.. anyway, my favorite was “The Mummy” roller coaster.. it was
thrilling.. another one was the Back to the Future ride.. The Men in
Black ride took forever to wait in line for.. seriously… probably an
hour…but the ride wasn’t worth the wait.. that really sucked! We got a
caricature done for the 3 of us there in Universal Studios and
everytime my brother and sis look at it, they start laughing soo
hard..My face looked the funniest! haha! Too bad you guys can’t see
it.. hehe
In the evening, we went swimming with our cousins at the pool near our
hotel room.. good thing they have a pool at Holiday Inn.. that was
fun..
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AUGUST 4 (Thursday)
We went to Disney World Magic Kingdom, the amusement park.. It was so
much fun there even though the heat from the sun was a lot stronger
than the previous day. The rides were better than the ones at Universal
S. This time, we were able to try a lot of rides.. more roller
coasters…The rides we tried were Space Mountain (roller coaster),
Carousel of Progress(a cool show…the theater rotates as the show
progresses), Lilo and Stitch (a ride show), the Disney Train, another
train which I forgot, Splash Mountain (a log ride that’s 5-stories high
and gets you all wet), Thunder Mountain (roller coaster), Buzz
Lightyear (a kid’s ride), Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion,
and we watched Mickey’s Philharmonic Magic Show..The Splash Mountain
ride was the most exciting! My bro and I took the front seats but all
of us got wet! The looks on our faces were so funny when we took a look
at our picture on the ride. We took some pictures with a few Disney
characters and bought souvenir shirts and hats. It was amazing (to say
the least)!
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AUGUST 5 (Friday)
We went to the John F. Kennedy Space Center. We took the bus tour.. It
was pretty cool too.. unfortunately, we couldn’t leave late in the
afternoon because it started raining so hard and there was thunder and
lightning! We ended up charging through the parking lot with nothing to
cover us from the rain just to get to the van....Our aunt even took off
her flip-flops before running to the van.. she ran barefooted.. we were
all soaking wet.. good thing none of us got sick.. we dried up inside
the van with the airconditioning…
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AUGUST 6 (Saturday)
We drove back to Georgia.
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Every other day, we would sleep at our cousins’ place… maybe like
15-mintues drive They live on a golf course by the way so Michael gets
to practice his swings at their backyard... We went swimming once at
the pool near their house and we had the whole pool all to ourselves!
There were no other people there.. then later that day, we went to
Amanda’s skating session. I was kinda amazed because I noticed how much
faster I got used to skating on the ice at that time compared to
before… well, that’s probably because I rollerblade now so it’s much
easier to adjust on the ice and get used to it..
I was able to get my hands on the 6th HP book and it kinda disappointed
me.. I was really expecting more from that story.. I think books 4 and
5 were better..
Anyway, there was tons of stuff we could do there. My sister and I
really loved jumping on the trampoline in their backyard. It was so
huge so we had a lot of room to jump on.. hehe.. Biking there’s also
fun.. their subdivision has a lot of hills.. We were also able to try
riding Amanda’s ATV around their backyard (which pretty much resembles
a forest).. hehe.. too many trees.. I actually almost fell off the ATV
when we were riding around… Amanda was driving too fast.. but that was
awesome! I wish I had my own ATV.. that would be so cool.. Our uncles
also set up a ping pong table in their playroom so we were able to play
table tennis.. yey! I can do top spins already! YEAH! We also go with
our uncles when they drive around town to buy some stuff.. Shops aren’t
that near from the subdivisions.. The nearest ones would probably be
10-15 minutes drive. The TV channels they have in America are way
better than the ones here. They have tons of cool shows to choose from!
aww.. I wish we had the same channels here in Canada!
We also went to see the Fantastic Four movie and just as I expected, we
were the only ones on the theater.. hehe.. classes already started by
then so there were no other people.. While we were there, we also
helped out a little. My brother and I tried raking grass on the front
yard once.. Now I know that the bigger the yard, the more the work! I
also get their mail for them from the mailbox… honestly, I never knew
that when the flag (on the mailbox) is sticking up, that means you’ve
got mail .. cool eh? hehe..
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AUGUST 20 (Saturday)
We went to Six Flags (Over Georgia) with our cousins and their dad.
This is the BEST amusement park if all you’re looking for are roller
coasters! We were able to try 9 rides although it was supposed to be
10. The lines weren’t that long compared to those in Universal Studios
and Disney World so we didn’t wait that long. We rode the Scorcher
first.. it’s an awesome roller coaster coz all of you are standing
up..hehe.. that was so cool.. I loved it! Then we tried the Mine
train.. a medium-speed roller coaster for kids.. The Splashwater Falls
was like the Splash Mountain log ride but this one had a bigger splash
and we ended up wetter… then after that, we tried the Great American
Scream Machine.. that was a breathtaking roller coaster! The first drop
was too much for me! I just wanted to jump out of my seat! hehe..but it
was definitely exciting! Then there was the Superman ride.. that was my
no. 1 favorite.. when you’re already seated and secured, the seats are
tilted so now you’re all facing the ground.. then when it starts, it
feels like you’re really flying! I loved it! After that, we tried the
Ninja.. this one had loops.. it would’ve been a fun ride if my head
wasn’t bumping the side bars.. it really hurt my head.. so instead of
screaming, I kept on saying “ouch” whenever we were going through the
loops.. We tried the River rafts after and thank God I wasn’t the one
that got under the waterfalls.. Amanda did.. hehe.. she was the only
one who got completely wet…
then we rode the Sky Bucket and lastly, the Cyclone…the Cyclone scared
me the most! It was like the Great American Scream Machine but a lot
faster and longer! My heart kept pounding faster and faster each drop!
When our picture was taken on that ride, my hair was flying all over my
face so when we went to see our picture on the screen, it looked like
my head was missing.. hehe.. At the end of the day, we were able to get
1 free admission ticket and a fast pass for 6 people because our
cousins’ dad made a complaint to the park manager/boss.. what happened
was the operator of one ride cut the line just before us so we didn’t
get to try that ride.. Our cousins’ dad got so mad and talked to a
number of people before he finally got to talk to the boss.. so then he
was given 1 free admission ticket to Six Flags and a fast pass for 6
people.. Too bad we weren’t able to go back to Six Flags so we didn’t
get to use the ticket and the Fast pass.. that would’ve been so cool
though… we could ride the other roller coasters we weren’t able to try
and we could’ve tried more rides with the fast pass… sayang!
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AUGUST 24 (Wednesday)
We left Georgia (again) and drove over to Washington D.C. The trip took
12 hours coz it was way up North. We did the same thing when we drove
to Florida.. we watched some DVDs while our uncle did the driving.. We
also passed by Dukes University in North Carolina just to look around.
We arrived in Washington late in the afternoon.. it was already getting
dark.. Washington’s beautiful! We stayed at a hotel called Howard
Johnson.. it also had a swimming pool like Holiday Inn but we didn’t go
swimming anymore.. As soon as we got there, we just rested because we
were all tired from the long drive.. We spent 4 days in Washington D.C.
Oh yeah! I also remember that before we first got to our hotel, we
stopped by at a gasoline station.. then while our uncle was refueling
the van, a beggar sitting on a chair just in the middle of the station
asked him if he had any food, etc.. so our uncle asked us if we had
some food we could give the poor guy.. we ended up giving him some
mochi (bean cakes) we brought for snacks for the trip and a can of
Sprite.. and just as I expected, when our uncle gave those to the guy,
he accepted the Sprite but not the mochi.. hehe.. he obviously didn’t
know what it was so he thought it’d be best not to take it.. grabeh
talaga.. pulubi na nga, namimili pa!
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AUGUST 25 (Thursday)
We walked going to the Union Station and ate breakfast… then we took
the famous tour around Washington and saw the different Smithsonian
museums, the Washington monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House
(from afar only), the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, W.W.II Memorial,
the castle, the FBI headquarters and a lot more! We were walking the
whole day going from one sight to another! It was so exhausting but I
guess seeing all the historical sights was worth all the walking.. The
Capitol was so beautiful at night.. luckily, there was a show that
night so we were able to watch it..
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AUGUST 26 (Friday)
We now used the van instead of walking. We first went to the Washington
Zoo.. that took most of our time coz we had to walk going to the
different areas in the zoo and our feet were already tired from the
previous day.. but it was fun.. I loved watching the lion.. It was so
cute! hehe.. then we went to the National Washington Cathedral which
was so beautiful! That was my favorite of all the places we went to in
Washington DC. It was huge! Just like all the historical places in
Washington, the Cathedral also had those gigantic pillars.. plus the
glass windows were so colorful! After that, we went to Georgetown where
we ate lunch.. We just strolled by the shops but didn’t buy anything..
things there were way expensive! Then we went back to the hotel and
rested…
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AUGUST 27 (Saturday)
We drove back to Georgia..
Btw, have I mentioned that all we ever ate in Washington was McDonalds? we were actually getting to the point where we couldn't and wouldn't eat anymore McDo.. it was too much..
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AUGUST 28 (Sunday)
We drove over to the North Georgia Factory Outlets.. in short, we were
going shopping! There were many shops and I was able to get the shoes
I’ve always wanted to buy!
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AUGUST 29 (Monday)
After our cousins’ classes, we went with Michael to his golf lesson and we were able to try hitting some balls..
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AUGUST 30 (Tuesday)
The 3 of us started packing our stuff for our trip going home (the next
day) then we went to downtown Atlanta after lunch time. The first place
we went to downtown was the Coke Museum. I never knew Coke originated
from Atlanta! hehe.. so anyway, we got free tastes! There were 35
different Coca-Cola products including those from different countries..
I was able to taste 6 different drinks from other countries (not
including some Coke and lemonade which I also drank)..
Then we went to the Centennial Park which had nothing much except for
some flags of other countries (Canada included), benches, a fountain,
and names engraved on the pavement.. After that, we went to the CNN
headquarters.. that was fun too..
I was very surprised to see so many black people downtown.. not that
I’m a racist or anything.. but honestly, everywhere you look, there
were always black people.. as in everywhere.. maraming mga tambay so we had to be careful… it was very dirty there.. and there were like people begging on the street..
When we got back from downtown, we all got ready to go out to celebrate
Jamie’s bday (in advance). We ate at Golden Corral, all you can eat
buffet.. I was stuffed..
I haven't finished fixing all our pictures yet but when I have, I'll let you know.. ang dami kasing pictures eh..
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Anyway, that was a very “brief” summary of what we did in America…
though there’s probably a lot more I could say about our stay there.
Going home was pretty much the same as going there.. We went to the
same airports but this time, when we were in Detroit, in that
children’s room, there was only one girl there.. she was alone watching
a movie.. the first person that came to my mind when I saw her was
Gabbie.. she was dressed just like Gabbie would.. hehe.. but anyway,
she eventually got to be friends with us.. she probably got so bored
and lonely in that room so she had no other choice but to talk to us..
we found out that she was going to Shanghai, China and we were like
“What?” .. wow.. that was very unusual! She isn’t asian though.. she’s
white.. so it really made us wonder why someone like her would go to
China.. well, she said she had to take care of some children there..
hehe.. weird.. but at least she’s home-schooled so school’s not really
a problem for her.. she’s going grade 9.. she was pretty nice..
Btw, I already got a haircut last Friday at a Korean salon.. now my hair looks so much better.. hehe..
Last Saturday, when we were walking in downtown Toronto, we
surprisingly saw two members of System of a Down! My brother noticed
them first then I was just so shocked when I saw them as well.. They
were just standing on the corner of a street while people were staring
at them as they passed the two… just seeing them in Toronto made me so
happy that day.. of course, it’s not everyday that you get to pass by a
ridiculously famous band on the street.. plus they’re not really from
Canada.. so that really made my day.. it really did..
Anyway, today is Labor Day so no work! Bad news is tomorrow’s the start of school! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I dont wanna go back to school!
<<<<<<< that's the actual back of his head! no
joke...but I cant post a clearer pic of him...I'd be risking a lot!!! My friend took this picture in our classroom so she had to do it fast...nyaha!
surprised