Please how did you freeze the palmoil and got it to final destination @debbh516 debby516:
I arrived Houston on 28th December with my 2 children and mum via emirates. The queue was not too long because the CBP officers had more booths, unlike my experience in 2016. So we were directed to a booth with few people. B4 my turn, my baby fell and started crying, thereby causing unnecessary attraction. The older one too was pulling me that she wanted to use the toilet, but we culdnt go bac, just begged her to manage till we pass the CBP officer.
CBP officer was a black mid-age american, looks like Denzel Washington.
hands over 4 passports to him
CBP: How many of you?
Me: 4 of us, myself, 2 children and mum
CBP: What re u here for?
Me: To have my baby.
CBP: (was abit tense now and not smiling, not like he was even smiling b4) what do u mean by u re here to ve a baby?
Me: (now i knew i don enter ma) I applied for a medical visa and informed them at the embassy of my intention to have my baby here.
CBP: I didnot ask you what you told them at the embassy, i said why do you want to ve ur baby here?
Me: I had some medical issues with my 1st child and i didnt want a re-occurrence
CBP: What medical issue?
Me: Placenta previa (Note that i was not prepare for this, so was just saying wat readily came to mind)
CBP: what do u mean by that?
Me: Placenta lying low blabla (honestlym cant even remember if my explanation made sense)
CBP: And it cant be taking care of in ur country?
Me: I had option of coming to America for better medical care and i didnt want to take chances
CBP: Options? really?
Me: Yes
CBP: How much do u ve with u?
Me: 3000USD and about 6000USD in my bank account ( i think he wasnt really listening here, he faced his computer. Also, at some point he was trying to call someone, maybe they didnt pick his call. During the course of d interrogation also, he stood up facing me squarely.)
CBP: Scan ur 4 fingers, same for my mum.
He then said we should step aside.
He was on his computer for about 5 mins and he didnot attend to someone else. Later an officer came to chat him up and he left.
He then called me alone and resumed interrogation.
CBP: Do you have any evidence of your last payment?
Me: brought it out and gave to him.
CBP: How come the letter is dated Janaury and u delivered in November?
Me: I paid immediately after birth but i guess the internal workings of the hosp delayed the bills.
CBP: You only paid $2500 (he was reading the 1st page alone, dat letter issued by oakbend to the embassy- zero balance)
Me: No, i paid much more, thats just wat i paid to the hosp. You can flip thru to see the other payments made to other service providers.
CBP: How much:
Me: About $7000
CBP: (flipped thru and saw the lengthy account statement from oakbend dat shows several deductions and brings everything back to $2500) How come this sums were deducted and u paid $2500?
Me: I had a contract with the hosp, for cash paying patient. I was to pay $2500 for all.
CBP: (Went thru baby's American passport) How come i got baby's passport soo soon?
Me: It was based on the time i got the birth certificate at the county office.
CBP: I need to call my supervisor (he started typing again)
after 2 mins or so, he started stamping the passports.
CBP: Who stays in this address? (referring to the address on my landing card)
Me: An apartment i am leasing for our stay here.
CBP: Do u have an apartment number?
Me: Told him and he wrote it on the landing card.
CBP: Hands over our passports and said we can go but will keep the evidence of payments
Me: Okay
Thats how we carried ourselves quickly and left him o.
Note: I was actually not prepared for this kind of POE interrogations, I worked till friday 22nd, slipped at home and fell in the early hours of 24th, was on admission in d hosp till 25th evening. barely packed my bags on 26th b4 we set out on 27th. The stress of excess luggage, packing and repackaging our load in d airport to avoid excess luggage payment was also another factor, i had to turn some to hand luggae quickly and bought small size ghana must go bag. My baby wanted to be doing waka abt in d plane, really stressed my mum on d lagos to dubai leg, she didnt sleep for one second.
Then the waka about inside Dubai airport cos we had a 10hrs layover, we had collect our hotel vouchers from lagos. we arrived d hotel at abt 1.30am and barely slept for 3 hrs b4 we rushed down again to take our breakfast and was already in the shuttle bus by 6.40am back to d airport for a 9am flight.
Then again, the long flight from Dubai to Houston, plane was as full as lag to Dubai. Though, we had a bassinet seat, so my baby who is over 1 year was able to sleep on and off in d bassinet, though, the hostess initially said she was too hold for d bassinet. We sha used it all thru.
At the baggage claim, i had to get assistance, cos we had 7 checked in bags and 3 hand luggages, paid $20 for them to push it out. Agric called us on our way out and passed our luggage thru the scanner. The officer there asked me if we had, ponmo, egusi, indomie lol. I just smiled, cos i was tired and i had much more than he was mentioning. The only thing taken out was my maggi naija pot seasoming cubes. All others sailed thru, dry fish, garri, beans, poundo, semo, groundnut, knorr beef, peak milk, milo, egusi, crayfish, yam flour (elubo), frozen locust beans, frozen palmoil, frozen pap.
In all, travelling alone is much more comfortable than this my trip with my battalion (lol), didnt regret it sha, they are worth it.
Apologies for the long story. I am available to answer questions if i omitted any info.
P.S. Houston is freezing.
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Travel / Re: Give Birth In USA: Cost And Procedures Part 6 by Akins345: 7:05pm On Jan 02, 2018