Tuesday, September 01, 2009
It rained all day and we could not even drown our nervousness in it. Manoy G claims he was not nervous at all. Perhaps he really wasn't.On the way to the Immigration Office, we instead rode a private car owned by one of the Filipinos in the area. They said that it must be difficult today to take the public transportation because of the typhoon. With six of us cramped in the car and with raindrops blocking all possible view from my side of the car window, my shooting was really constrained. I thought anyway, there is much more to shooting today. It was not my big day. It was Manoy G's and his family's.
Manoy G's wife was dizzy in the car. She said she was too nervous and started puking. Manoy G mostly looked out of the window while holding his wife's hand. M, the wife's six-year daugther sad uncomfortably on the tiny space left for her between myself and her mother. Sister M, the nun accompanying us to the office, sat in front, occassionally making phone calls to the other Filipinos whom she are helping. Tita J, the woman driving us to the immigration, chainsmoked inside the car. All through out the traffic (it took us almost three hours to get to the immigration), it rained cats and dogs and outside.
At the immigration, we spent our time waiting once again. Manoy G and his wife would go to the rooms for adjudication. M, not really understanding what was happening but was nonetheless with us for today all classes were cancelled, clicked tirelessly on her handheld digi-games. Sister M was still making phone calls and texting other Filipinos. There was another Filipino family in the waiting room. They were accompanying one young Filipina (perhaps in her mid-20s) who was also trying to get a legal status in Japan. I could not shoot at all inside because it was forbidden.
Today, there was nothing much to do (and shoot). We mostly waited.
Labels: Phil-Jap relations, proud to be filipino, video clips