Malas talaga
Not yet done, fate gave us two more curve balls upon arriving in Manila.
Our plane landed at about 1230 AM, and already delayed by one day, our visa appointment with the US Embassy was at 930 AM that same day. So we did not sleep anymore, and arrived at the embassy at about 730 AM. So we went through the usual stuff - long lines, security, etc. I even had to leave my cellphone with a complete stranger, because the embassy doesn’t allow it anymore. Used to be they had a depository inside, but not anymore. Then, when we were already inside, a staff approached us, and asked if Julia is an applicant. I said no, only me, Lian and Justine. She asked who let us in, and we said the lady outside, the one who checked that indeed we had a scheduled interview today. The staff said we had to go back outside and clear it first again with the gate - their first line of defense. Too tired to confront them, we obeyed.
Outside, we saw that the lady who initially cleared us wasn’t there anymore. I can only assume they fired her pronto because of us. 
Anyway, we approached the other lady left manning the gates, and asked her what is the problem. We explained that Julia is a US citizen, and that we have no one to leave her with. Besides, what security threat does she pose, right? Her response? Classic: “Eh bakit nyo kasi dinalaya yan?” At that point, Lian’s top blew. That’s only one of the few times I’ve seen her really really angry at complete strangers, and the first time I saw her as a lioness protecting her cub. It was understandable - after all the effort we poured into Julia, how dare this woman treat Julia as an object? Parang duming pwedeng iwan saan-saan? Anyway, I kept my cool, and asked Lian to step back, and I dealt with the staff. Eventually, they cleared us. But I hope that woman was the one who got fired, not the one who let us through.
And bad luck didn’t stop there. Fate gave us one last wink before giving us our much needed vacation. See, when my dad petitioned us for an immigrant visa in 1995, we had some problems with our paperwork and stuff, and the petition did not push through. Not denied though, but was put on hold. So when the consul was already interviewing us, I did not expect much questions, because Lian, me and Justine just needed to get our visas restamped, since I already have all the necessary paperwork and approvals. I was expecting something more like just a formality and have them replace the expired visa on our passports. However, at one point, the consul said he just has leave and check something quick, but “quick” took at least ten minutes. Upong getting back to us, his first question was “Did anyone ever petition you for an immigrant visa?” I told him, yes, my current employer. He said, “No, like from your mother or father?” For a moment there, nanlamig ako. Namawis ata lahat ng pwedeng mamawis sa akin! But, confident of my papers, I just told him the truth - yes, my father petitioned us about 10+ years ago. He asked if I knew what’s the current status, and I said no, as far as I know it didn’t push through. And then he just typed and typed and typed into his computer. And then finally, he said “Your visa is approved.” Whew!!!!!!!!!
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