After a quick lunch, we crossed the border into the U.S. The procedure was not difficult, but I had an unpleasant experience at the immigration control of the U.S. and I'm going to write about it. The first picture is the entrance of the immigration building. We were called one by one to the counter. When I was waiting for my daughter's clearance, I was called by another official. He called me shouting "Hey, Cowboy hat!" I didn't think immediately that he invited me, but I understood his words by his pointing at me and the eye contact with him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties and was chatting with his young woman co-worker all the time. His rudeness really made me mad. I've never been called like that. I thought of carrying on a battle of nerves like I pretended that I couldn't understand English at all, but I changed my mind. He was not worth the effort. I didn't want to waste time. On the way back to Canada, the Canadian officer was polite and very dignified. The contrast was impressive.
In the second picture, my daughter is heading for the U.S. on the Rainbow Bridge connecting both banks across the Niagara River. The last picture is of the description on the bridge. I took this with my one leg in the U.S. and the other in Canada.
(Vocabulary)
immigration clearance 入国手続き
clearance [U] 許可, 認可
get/receive/obtain clearance 許可を得る
clearance to do sth ＜…＞する許可
be in your twenties 20歳代である
in your early/mid/late twenties 20代初め［半ば，後半］に
carry on a war of nerves 嫌がらせをする
a battle/war of nerves 神経戦
sth is worth your while ＜…＞は時間［労力，金］をかける価値がある, 無駄ではない
Taking a computer class would be well worth your while. コンピュータの授業をとるのは決して無駄にはならないよ．
be worth the effort/trouble/time 努力する［骨を折る，時間をかける］価値がある
The dish is difficult to cook but worth the effort. 難しい料理だけどがんばって作る価値はある．
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