Hong Kong - where east meets west

Every time I went home to spend my annual vacation, my mom would tell me that her Kumares (old friends and co teachers) would always mention Hong Kong in their conversations. They’d always make sure that their Hong Kong trips would be mentioned even if it’s out of the topic. My mom couldn’t say anything since she hasn’t been to Hong Kong. She’d heard about it from her friends and our neighbors who worked as DH there. So, she’d always feel OP (out of place) in their conversations.

That’s the reason why I decided to save enough money this year so that I’ll be able to fund my Mom’s first overseas trip in Hong Kong. I don’t want to have regrets in the future so this trip is not just for my Mom’s happiness but also for my peace of mind. As old people would always say, “we have to show how we feel to our love ones while they’re still in this world”.

Of course, it’s not easy to prepare for your first trip abroad. My mom has to apply for a passport. Applying for a passport entails a lot of steps too. You have must have an NBI clearance, an authenticated birth certificate and marriage certificate. I nagged my mom so she would file for an NBI clearance. Her first try failed because instead of filing for the Green NBI clearance for abroad, she filed for the Gold, and that’s for local employment I think. I’ve learned that nowadays, passport applications at the DFA require appointment. DFA will never entertain individuals without a prior appointment except of course if you’re a senior citizen. My mom’s a senior citizen so she was accorded special attention. When my mom thought that nothing could go wrong, she was in for a big surprised. She almost fainted when she claimed her passport because her family name was misspelled. They traced the spelling mistake and the culprit was her marriage license. She never thought that her marriage certificate which was filed more than 40 years ago would haunt her.

Well it’s too late to correct the misspelled family name in her passport. They’ve scheduled her flight on the 10th of July 2010. Whether the document is misspelled or not, it’s a legal and valid Philippine document. I told mom to just renew her passport the moment she comes back from Hong Kong.

My mom’s a former Grade School Principal with more than 20 years of experience as a classroom teacher before her promotion. She’s very strict when it comes to spelling. I know how she feels when people misspelled her family name. I was mad as hell when I learned that her family name was misspelled in her passport. Remember, we share the same family name.