Trip to the US Embassy and elsewhere -- 09.14.09

Like what was mentioned earlier, Dave went back to the Philies to have some paperwork done. Part of the many things we needed to do was to wake up on the break of dawn to get to the US Embassy, Manila. 

You see, since he became a naturalized US citizen only last May '09, the requisites for marrying a foreign national is not really as complex as it seems. The difference is only in the form of paperwork to be submitted. Also, make sure that the marriage is well-planned for smooth execution -- no shortcuts here, and it should not be something that you would just jump into, I may add.


For instance, in our case, we need to go down to the US embassy for him to get a "Legal Capacity to Marry". Actually, I don't have to be there for him to get this piece of paper. I only tagged along so that I know how the process goes. 

All I knew was we have to be early as the lines in the embassy could already be long by 5AM. We were correct! There were already about 20 people in queue at the gates by 5:00AM! Good thing, Dave already has a "blue" passport, which only means that he has a separate queue -- and he was first! Yay!

Things to know when going to the US Embassy, Manila:

1. Plan ahead - Some offices in the Embassy could only accommodate requests on a certain date or time. Sometimes, only a certain number of people can be accommodated. Be sure to contact first the Embassy for schedules, or check their website.
   
2. Always bring your passport. No passport, no entry -- simply put.
   
3. Be at least an hour earlier or 2 if you have an appointment.
4. If you don't have an appointment, it is advisable to go as early as 5:00AM to avoid long queues, and to avoid missing cut-offs for quotas or times.
   
5. Cellphones/cameras/electronics are not allowed inside. They are to be left on the counter upon entering the gate. You will be leaving another valid ID to deposit your gadgets. 
6. Gates open at 8:00AM, but they let in a few people by 7:30AM
   

I ended up waiting at the Yellow Cab pizza, which is open 24 hours, since I forgot to bring my passport. Dave then had to fall in line. 

Once I've finished the Charlie Chan Chicken pasta I ordered, I went to Starbucks just right across to have some morning coffee. By that time, it was already 6:00AM and Dave was still on queue. We were just exchanging text messages until the time he went inside the embassy, which was around 7:30AM. 

By that time I got really bored that I had to read ALL the magazines inside Starbucks. If you ask me whether I remember what I learned, I'll just answer no. Haha! 

After this, we decided to go home and relax for a while (actually naligo kasi we didn't have time to take a bath that morning coz we were rushing! Haha!).

So we then went to Trinoma and tried Steak Sizzlers located at the 2nd floor food court. The meal was very filling and very affordable.  I think the sizzling steak below was probably at the PHP100-130 range.

After walking around looking for a wedding band, and several pictures taken later, we decided to get some fro yo (frozen yogurt). And since we were already in Trinoma, the best way to satisfy this urge is to run down at Red Mango! 

Now that's some craving! 

For complete pics: