I’ve always thought it was nice that you go through U.S. Customs in certain Caribbean islands before leaving the island. Convenient. And I wondered whether customs agents enjoyed their tours of duty on a Caribbean island.

Several years ago, after we had recently secured our Global Entry status, we were leaving Aruba. We tried the express clearance and computer system. When we approached the agent, she asked whether we had any food with us. Apparently, we had checked the wrong box on the computerized form.
She advised us that any food had to be declared. We assured her that our mistake would never be repeated. With that exchange, and smiles, we were on our way.

The other day I read about a woman returning to the U.S. from Paris who had an apple — provided by the airline — that she had put in her bag and, apparently, forgotten about. She landed and went through customs. When a random search revealed the apple, she was fined $500 and her Global Entry status is in jeopardy.

I think of the agent in Aruba and  thank her again.