Customs Officers

I mean do they scare the hell out of you? Sometimes I really wonder... do the immigration department in each country choose the ugliest and fiercest looking persons to be a Customs Officer.

"Hey you over there! Yeah you with the face like a Bull Dog. You are appointed as the Customs Officer!"

Most of the time when I had to pass through the customs gate, my heart rate increases to a supersonic pace, my palms get sweaty and yes, I get tongue-tied when I'm standing there at the booth.. coming face to face with a guy that seems ready to bite my head off if I answered his question of why on earth I'm stepping foot into his precious homeland.

I know these dedicated individuals are trained to sniff the drugs out of those criminals or make those illegal immigrants turn around and catch the next flight home. But hey.. I'm a lone female traveller who had just alighted from a 12-hour flight.. can you at least squeeze a smile for me? Oh.. wait a minute. I prefer you not to smile. Just try to speak in a gentler voice. Ok ok.. just keep that rifle away from my direction. Thanks a lot. *whimper* *whimper*

I have heard of a few frightening tales involving Customs Officer in a certain Latin American country. He was picking on a friend's aunt (a Singaporean) who was travelling with her British (white) husband.. well just because the Singapore passport is RED. Something wrong with that you asked? Not that I know of.. but if she did pass any remarks, she might get retained for ..erm.. being rude?

Recently I've changed my old Singapore passport to Biometric passport (in accordance with US standards??). And oh, you should see the faces of puzzled Customs Officers who were trying to figure out what on earth was in my passport!

Why on earth am I picking on Customs Officers of other countries? Want to know why? Try approaching a Singaporean customs officer. A simple "Welcome home!" and "Enjoy your stay!" make a whole lot of difference to the start of every journey.