All tenses and verb forms.

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Customs agents are not helpful!

Maureen 1) (live) in USA and 2) (decide) to return to the country where she 3) (born)

. She 4)(write)several lists to make sure she 5)(not forget) anything. By the time she
6)_ (be )ready to start packing she had several lists. One with the things that
she definitely 7) _ (take)with her, one with “in case there 8) _
(be) space left” and third with “ in case there 9) _ (be) still
space left”. Needless to say, only the items from the first list 10)_((make) it into
the five suitcases she 11)(carry)with her. All the goodbyes were said the previous
night.
Her son 12)_ (drop) her at the airport and that 13) _ (be) when the real
adventure started. To begin with she14)(find) out the airline she 15)
_(travel)with only 16)(provide) carts for the passengers. So after struggling to get all
the suitcases into two of those infamous carts she proceeded to move, slowly
very slowly, towards line.
After all her luggage 17) (check) she started 18) _(walk) towards the gate.
It 19) _ (locate) at the other end of LAX. Going through customs to leave a
country can sometimes be very frustrating. First, she 20) _ (ask) why she
21) _ (not roll) her carryon. The handle got stuck when she 22) _
( get) off the car so she 23) _ (forced)to open the suitcase to maneuver
the handle back into the case. The customs’ agent 24) _ (understand)yet
she asked again. Maureen 25) _ (stand)in line with hundreds of travelers.
The process of 26) _ ( have)one’s luggage, person and passport checked,
x-rayed and controlled 26) _ (be)daunting. After what 27)_ (
seem) like hours she 28) _ (be) finally in the pre- embarking area. There
were so many people! Due to weather conditions, all the planes 29) _
(ground) on Miami so there were lots of people who 30) _ (reroute )through
LAX.
After a twelve-hour flight, plus a three-hour layover, she 31) _ (arrive)
. By then she 32) _ ( become)an expert maneuvering the double cart
and though several people 33) _ (help) along the way moving through
endless airport hallways 34) _ (exhaust).
Maureen 35) _ ( stand)in line at the nearest customs agent. He had
quite a few people in his line, but she just could not 36) _ (push )those
two airport carts any farther. Another line 37) _ (open)and the agent
38) _ (call)her.
As soon as she 39) _ (call )near the counter the woman 40) _ (
tell)her “ Oh! You have two carts! I should not have called you”. This41) _
( is)mind boggling, isn’t this her job?
The agent 42) _ (say)“Why 43) _ ( youhave)so much luggage ?”
to which Maureen 44) _ (respond )explaining she 45) _ ( live)in
another country for fifteen years and she 46) _ (now move)back.
After 47) _ (ask )the same question more than five times she 48) _
(proceed)to inform Maureen she 49) _ (open)she suitcases. Maureen told
her there 50) _ (be)no problem but she 51) _ (use)a lot of air
vacuum bags to get everything inside her luggage so after 52) _
(open)them there 53) _ (be )no way all the stuff would fit so she was
more than welcome to open them but she 54) _ (have)to either provide
her with a vacuum to reseal the bags or extra luggage to carry all the stuff
that 55) _ ( fit)vback inside . You are not going to believe it but the
agent said “ Why are you carrying so much luggage?
Customs agents are not helpful!

Maureen had been living in USA and decided to return to the country where she was born. She
wrote several lists to make sure she was not forgetting anything. By the time she was ready to
start packing she had several lists. One with the things that she definitely had to take with her,
one with “in case there is space left” and third with “ in case there is still space left. Needless to
say, only the items from the first list made it into the five suitcases she would be carrying with
her.
Her son drove her to the airport and that was when the real adventure started. To begin with she
found out the airline she was travelling with only provided carts for the passengers. So after
struggling to get all the suitcases into two of those infamous carts she proceeded to move, slowly
very slowly, towards line.
After all her luggage had been checked she started walking towards the gate. It was located at the
other end of LAX. Going through customs to leave a country can sometimes be very frustrating.
First, she was asked why she was not rolling her carryon. The handle got stuck when she got off
the car so she had been forced to open the suitcase to maneuver the handle back into the case.
The customs’ agent understood yet she asked again. Maureen stood in line with hundreds of
travelers. The process of having one’s luggage, person and passport checked, x-rayed and
controlled is daunting. After what felt like hours she was finally in the pre- embarking area.
There were so many people! Due to weather conditions, all the planes had been grounded on
Miami so there were lots of people who had been rerouted through LAX.
After a twelve-hour flight, plus a three-hour layover, she arrived. By then she had become an
expert maneuvering the double cart and though several people helped her along the way moving
through endless airport hallways was exhausting.
Maureen was standing in line at the nearest customs agent. He had quite a few people in his line,
but she just could not push those two airport carts any farther. Another line was opened and the
agent called her.
As soon as she got near the counter the woman told her “ Oh! You have two carts! I should not
have called you”. This is mind boggling, isn’t this her job?
The agent asked “why do you have so much luggage ?” to which Maureen responded explaining
she had been living in another country for fifteen years and she was now moving back. After
asking the same question more than five times she proceeded to inform Maureen she would have
to open she suitcases. Maureen told her there was no problem but she had used a lot of air
vacuum bags to get everything inside her luggage so afteropening them there was no way all the
stuff would fit so she was more than welcome to open them but she would have to either provide
her with a vacuum to reseal the bags or extra luggage to carry all the stuff that would not fit back
inside . You are not going to believe it but the agent said “ Why are you carrying so much
luggage?