Have you ever did something for the first time and felt so thrilled about it? So excited yet so scared? I'm Cian and today, I'm going to bring you to my ✈ first plane flight ✈ being all alone. As an introvert, this is a major nerve-racking moment and to make it all worse, it's a connecting trip (CEB - MNL - TAC). Well I guess I'll suffer more but I must endure it since I really want to go home.

I’m going home after so many hardships and struggles in booking, rebooking, cancelling, and almost giving up and staying in Cebu to celebrate holidays. Check my last post about that if you want to see my agony. 2 years is a very long time and finally I’m going home. Feels like I’m an OFW hahahaha.

I felt so anxious 😬.

But this is better, trying new things. At least, I’m not suffering anymore in the long unsure lines of that sea trip ticket. Because my sea trip got cancelled many times already, I decided to go to our office for the meantime and work. Much better than staying in my room doing nothing for many days.

Went to our office and had some catching up with my colleagues about their status and situation during and after the typhoon. We plugged in our phone batteries, power banks, flashlights in the office because our generator is working. They let us charge even though the gasoline is only limited. We helped packing Christmas parols for our linemen from VECO and CEBECO and for the preparation of free breakfast and lunch meals for everyone on duty in the office. We also had drinking water in here and they offered for us to have some for our homes. After working in the office until the day before my flight, I felt so happy about my decision.

GOING TO MACTAN AIRPORT

I woke up earlier around 5 am to pack up my things and finally went down from my room to tell our front desk that I’ll be going home for a week. Waited at the road for a passing taxi but nothing. No taxi or grab car at 7am. Without a choice, I called a habal-habal (motorcycle driver) and asked him for the fare to airport. I offered P400 (8 USD) and he said yes. A taxi metered rate cost at around that amount too.

I arrived at the airport early because of my mode of transportation. Feeling so anxious, I stepped inside the airport and read the signs above as this way for departures and this way for arrivals. Inside the departure area are a flock of people falling in line and just like me, wanting to go home.

Good thing that I asked a lot of staff around and they told me that I don’t need to wait anymore and go directly to the gate because the status of my flight is already “Check-in Open”.

Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines’ lines (north wing and south wing) are separated during this season. Went straight to Cebu Pacific’s line and fall in line for the identification process.

I just presented my boarding pass (the one that was generated after having an online check-in the day before my flight) and a valid ID to the guard and he already let me in and now for the scanner of all bags (remove everything in your pockets including cellphone and money), put it all in the container.

I specifically didn’t avail for a check-in baggage (20kgs) because I kinda don’t want to be hassled on my first solo flight. I only had one backpack with me (below 7kgs).

After scanning my bags, I went straight to their door that will open if you’ll scan the QR in your boarding pass and it’s verified. Went to the last scanning machine and there you have it, I’m already inside and waiting at the boarding gate for my airplane to arrive.

I roam around first to buy something to eat for breakfast, anyway I’m still too early hahaha. Ordered from Tsim Sha Tsui, a dimsum restaurant some congee with seasoned egg and coke zero.

Made some friends along the way with this guy going to Palawan who also was away from his family for a long time already. My plane is here and already time to board at 9:45 am. I’m so excited hahaha.

MANILA AIRPORT

Touch down Manila hahahaha. Finally. But I still need to wait for 4 hours til my flight. It was 2019 when I Iast stepped foot in Manila, but right now I’m not going anywhere outside the airport for I’m a foreigner here hahaha.

Let's take a selfie first for this achievement hahahaha. 🏆😅

The process to enter the airport here is quite the same as that in Cebu. I think that this one is a lot easier tho. But my boarding gate is still TBA or to be announced, so we waited patiently and as the time ticks near to our boarding time, we all already felt nervous. We’re all still not at our boarding gate but it’s already our boarding time. I ate my lunch first before anything else. This is it. One more flight and I’ll see my family already. We finally boarded our flight at 3pm. See you soon everyone 😬.

TACLOBAN AIRPORT

Finally, I’m at Tacloban City, Leyte, but still 5 hours land travel away from my home. My family decided to fetch me at the airport and maybe who knows, we might spend our Christmas here too 😊. Arrived at around 5pm but my family is still one hour away from me. So it’s waiting time hahaha.

I sat at a hut with food stalls and souvenir shops outside the airport. A lot of mosquitos are already biting me but I just distracted myself by scrolling through my cellphone.

Surprisingly, my cousin suddenly chatted me and told me if I was in Tacloban Airport around 5pm. I said yes and she suddenly said that her brother (my 1st cousin) saw me at the airport, but he’s not sure if it was me. He don’t know if he should approach me because he’s not sure if it was me especially with a face mask on. We haven’t seen each other for more than 5 years already. If I were to have seen him, I swear I won’t know it was him, even without his face mask hahahahaha 😆.

They’re here and finally reunited after 2 long years. All those struggles I had along the way are all worth it now that I'm with them.

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