March 01-02, 2011 - Tuesday/Wednesday
Yesterday, I said my goodbye to Alex and Tom, and it gave me a feeling of sadness. Alex informed me about the looting at the airport, where laptops and expensive cell phones were being taken by soldiers. Indians did not inform their government about it because their embassy would advise the airline company to bring the plane elsewhere and it would be more difficult for those who were in Tripoli. I was surprised that they had a plane at the capital while Filipinos had to travel to Tunisia, Malta or Egypt. We also talked about the situation at the Tunisian border which the United Nations had declared to be critical. The Tunisian government could not handle the influx of refugees so the UN had to give its assistance. Tom told me that the Indian repatriation would be up to March 10 only --after that, they have to spend for their own fare should they decide to go home. We wished each other good luck and safe journey. In my heart, I was still hoping that we would see each other again.
I called up Saed, the one in-charge of our payroll at the Finance Office of the University. I inquired about our February salary and he said that it's already in the bank. I sent an SMS to Kiko, Noel and Lovie. (Noel and Lovie's college is also under our university so they assigned me to follow up salaries and stuff because Libyans are generally more accommodating to women.) I just stayed in my flat and washed clothes. I called up Dr. Naj and told him that I had to work on some things in my flat and would be meeting some colleagues during the weekend.
On Wednesday, Bok came when I was talking to Inna on Skype. He was in a bubbly mood and told Inna that I won't go home anymore because he's already around. (We did not see each other for almost two weeks.) He also said that Inna should not worry about me any further because he would take care of me.
After my talk with Inna, Kiko spoke to his mom and sister, apologizing for not being able to communicate with them more often. He said that Zletin's communication network was blocked --both the phone lines and internet connections. He told them that if they like to have an update on the situation in Libya, they should contact me. He introduced me to them. I told his mom that Kiko was a good person and it was to her credit that she had raised him well. I excused myself and as I was walking towards my room, I heard his sister ask my age... " Oh, she looked younger!" (Oh, flattering, eh!) and Bok saying, "She's the best Pinoy English teacher in Tripoli....no, in the whole of Libya." (Ows! He wouldn't be caught saying that in front of me, he NEVER gave me complement, just criticism.). No offense to my Filipino colleagues, it was just the opinion of a friend ....and it could be very subjective, huh.
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