We just got back home here in the Philippines a few hours ago. I feel quite disoriented. My body clock is a mess, its early morning and I haven’t slept. I feel like I have so much to absorb and get back into out of all the things commitments or duties I’ve delayed and left behind for a while. Like enrollment for example. School starts tomorrow, and I haven’t enrolled yet. Well, that among other things.

That was quite a trip. Eighteen days. From Georgia to New York to the San Franciso bay area of California to Los Angeles and to Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s going to be a long series of blog entries. And here’s where I should begin.

Late night of Wednesday, May 23. My family can be a bit crazy sometimes. Our flight out of Manila was at a little before midnight of Wednesday. My dad however, for whatever reason, probably out of his own hidden excitement, insisted that we get to the airport by six in the evening–and so we were at the airport by six in the evening. Idly waiting for hours at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, way before the check-in counter even opened, was not really the most convenient traveler’s experience. We haven’t even had dinner, and all there was at the check-in lobby was a lousy hot dog stand. After having gone through numerous international airports, one is sure to lament at how lousy our primary international airport is.

After six long hours of waiting and passing through the usual immigration procedures, our Korean Air flight to Incheon International Airport for transit finally flew out of Manila.

Five hours later, we found ourselves at the break of dawn in what was a deserted airport of Incheon, South Korea. Some of the passengers in transit took their places among the many empty seats and laid to sleep. I, however, admittedly because it was my first time in a foreign country in a long while, and my first time in Korea at that (even if stuck just at the airport for transit), went roaming around the facility. Most of the shops and other amenities were still closed, however.

A few hours later, hoards of other passengers filled the airport. I found myself straying from my parents for a while and surfing the internet for a few minutes at the airport’s complimentary internet access facility for transit passengers. When my parents found me, we went off to have breakfast in one of the numerous restaurants along our side of Incheon Airport.

Our flight to Atlanta, Georgia was delayed for around an hour. We left Korea, via Korean Air too, at almost noon. Interestingly for me, after thirteen (if I’m not mistaken) hours on the air, we arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta on the same day with just five hours offset from our departure time. This is where the jetlag and all the body’s time clock confusion comes in. It was midday at Atlanta, but I felt so tired and sleepy. I wasn’t really able to sleep much during the flight. It was my first long haul flight, so don’t blame me for taking amusement in the the wide array of in-flight entertainment and food.

Atlanta was our first destination because we wanted to visit some relatives who have migrated to an Atlanta suburb a decade ago. They were to be our wonderful hosts for the few days we were in Georgia. [end Part 1]