Family Vacation in USA

By Celine -
As I write this, it's been more than five years ever since our family vacation in California...

 I remember how we lined up in the US Embassy in Manila to get our US VISA. It was May 2007. They fetched me from La Salle because I have to adjust one of my classes. Accounting class to be exact. I just started college back then and was seriously stressing out over my basic accounting - it was just not meant to be.

We got our VISA. My mom and I got ten years of multiple entry VISA while my siblings got five years. We're set for our family vacation December 2007 - January 2008. We're going to visit my aunties - the three sisters of my mom who all live in West Covina, Los Angeles, California, USA. We're excited! That was my first 12-hour flight. After going through the US immigration and going out LAX, my siblings and I love the cold weather! I mean, coming from the heat of the Philippines it was refreshing.

I can't remember what we exactly did on each of the days, but I will try to describe whatever I can remember.
  • I remember cooking and having an "American" style breakfast on our first day. We had pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. 
  • I remember hearing the boisterous laughter of my mom together with her sisters that would echo inside the house of my Tita. 
  • I remember Scooby their doggy that Alyanna likes and fear at the same time.
  • I remember the long lines in Disneyland where Alyanna lost a tooth while we're riding the Peter Pan ride. We lined up for nearly an hour to enjoy the submarine in the Finding Nemo attraction. We also went in the It's A Small World After All ride which my mom loves. Oh and I remember my mom giving us $20.00 which I saved to buy something affordable from Walmart for my girlfriends back in the Philippines.
Inside Luxor: Family Photo with Aunt Vickie
  • I remember the Universal Studio Jurassic Park ride where I got wet. I remember eating Flintstone's burger for lunch. I remember the tour where we got to see how the different movie scenes were made.
  • I remember sleeping most of the way during the (insert number of hours) hours drive to Las Vegas. I remember Therese, Hovey, and I playing Family Feud in my new HP Touch Screen laptop (yes, they exist before Steve Jobs popularized the iPad) while our parents are downstairs either eating or gambling. I remember walking around Las Vegas to see the different hotels - Eiffel Tower, Caesars Palace, and the dancing fountains. Oh and we stayed in Luxor - pyramid, anyone?
Family Picture outside Luxor, Las Vegas, Nevada
  • I remember Carl's Jr dinner on our way back to West Covina.
  • I remember In & Out for lunch in one of those days.
  • I remember visiting the Filipino grocery and staring at the Lucky Me Pancit Canton amazing that it's actually in the USA, as well.
  • I remember visiting the resting place of our Lola Dading and decorating it with Christmas Tree.
Christmas Decor in the Cemetery
  • I remember playing in the arcade where the person behind the counter is a Filipino who exchange our tickets with a lot of prizes.
  • I remember having Ham and Turkey for Christmas evening dinner.
  • I remember having a glass of wine which got me dizzy during New Year's Eve.
Family Picture!
  • I would never forget missing January 3, 2008 - we left the US January 2 and arrived in the Philippines January 4.
Whew! That's a good summary of what I remember and what I wanted to share from our two-three weeks in the US.
Location: West Covina, CA, USA

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