Welcome to America. Now we interrogate you.
Trip Start
Feb 20, 2008
1
3
62
Trip End
Aug 20, 2008
Los Angeles,
California,
United States
Thursday, February 21, 2008
And I was also greeted by a super packed arrival hall, with like, 12 counters for Americans and erm... 4 for the massive amounts of incoming visitors.
As luck would so favour me (sarcasm), I joined the massive queue which was served by only 1 counter -- a particularly bitchy Asian guy called 'Xie'.
After standing in line for like, 50 minutes, it was my turn.
Xie proceeded to grill me and told me that I am rejected because under Visa waiver, I can only be here 90 days.
Duuuuuude, I showed you my ticket to South America. I leave here in 10 days.
"No this is not valid", he said as he tossed my e-ticket printout on the table. "Where is your air ticket?"
I then tried to explain to this obviously-once-from-China guy that budget tickets are mainly e-tickets now.
"No. Not valid. Who do this itinerary for you?"
Duuuuuude... it's an E-TICKET. AARRGH!
"Who is Robert Paetz?"
"Why you live with him?"
"How long have you know him?"
"How did you meet him?"
"What do you do for a living?" -- "Student"
"What does he do for a living?"
"WHAT are you doing in America? Huh?"
Sigh.
Does this guy have a complex because he was subject to such screening before he was admitted too, or is he just being a bona fide asshole?
So after answering questions (repetitively) to prove that I am not a dubious Asian and that there's such a thing called e-tickets, he finally let me through.
It was then time to fight with the plane-load of Filipinos hoarding around the conveyor belt. SIGH.
But after all that harrassment by immigration officials, running over and pulling my 2 massive bags off the belt seemed like a piece of cake.
I submitted my customs declaration forms and stood beside the "What you need to know about bird flu" sign for a while before the official gave me the all-clear.
I sprinted up the ramp, finally, free, with bak kwa and TimTams unscathed, into the arms of my beloved.
It was perverse, but it felt like all that grilling was worth it.
*Note: It were times like these that I missed my MFA job -- I want my Dip Passport back!! SULK!
Comments
it's the new world...
hallo dearie. welcome to the new world of terrorists and holy wars, of national security and homeland ministries. ah well. i guess as much.... 4 years ago when I landed in LA, i had the immigration guy ask me some questions about Singapore too... 'where do u live in Singapore?' (in the east, near the beach), 'so where do Singaporeans going shopping?' (like, HELLO, we shop EVERYWHERE... it's our national pastime!! 'erm... Orchard?').. it was so obvious this ang mo officer dunno nuts about Singapore, yet he is interrogating me about my country to see if I know it. I mean, even if i tell him we shop at LALAcity i'm sure he would have bought that. sigh.
oh well, just grin and bear it lah. u are going to travel to a ton of places and u will get this questions thrown at you left right and centre. and, U don't really want that MFA dip passport... keke.... =)