My Brother-in-law & Other Stories
By Johnny P. Novera

Rome, here we come!

(Singapore, July 15, 2005): - At the Changi Airport, they have TV monitors strategically located all over the terminal building where you can read flight information.  After resting at the airport lounge, we went to Gate No. 28  indicated on the screen where we are  to go and check-in.

At exactly 12:30 a.m. the airport office for the  Rome flight opened.  Processing was very business-like and after a few minutes we were on board again Singapore Airlines at 1:00 a.m., this time to Rome.

Doctors advised that during air travel, to avoid dehydration, you must always drink a lot of liquid. That was great advice for there was nice French wine aboard!

After five trips to the rest room, in-between inflight movies or following sitting exercises shown on screen, pleasantly interrupted by one sumptuous dinner and one full breakfast, the pilot announced that  we are now landing at  Rome's Fiumicino airport in a few minutes!

Then he said that  time is now  7:00 a.m., Saturday, the 15 th .   Flight time was 12 hours. We  have to adjust our watches by 6 hours because Philippine time is advance by 6 hours.  It's too confusing for us to understand, but as they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do, so we adjusted our watch to Roman time without question.

And the excitement began!  After a brisk examination of our passports as we passed by the immigration window, we went to the revolving luggage rack to claim our bags, as the other  passengers did.   We waited for our luggage but there was none. When there was no more luggage on the rack coming out of the trap door,  we went to ask a woman at the counter doing some office work for help,  but we cannot understand each other.  She does not speak English and we do not speak Italian either!  (to be continued).