5:30 am-arrive in Korea
5:45 am-learn that although I have a 12 hour layover at Incheon International, South Korea, I am not actually allowed to leave the airport, but am so generously given a meal voucher worth $7
6:30 am-find out there's free internet, spend one hour here, one of many
8:00 am-Eat delicious breakfast of udon and kimchee with my $7 dollar voucher
8:45 am-learn the age old practice of korean cell phone dangly making
9:30 am-tour the Korean art exhibit located next to internet center
10:45 am-make friends with a Filipino on his way home from Russia, where he works as an oil driller
11:45 am-realized I have spent too much time with said Filipino and feel uncomfortable, find way to politely say goodbye
12 noon-more internet
12:15 am-meet very nice Filipino living abroad in South Wales, working for Ford Motor company, have a nice chat
1:00 pm- guess where I am...
only 3 more hours!!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Boracay Cont'd
Boracay was beautiful, the sand is white because it is made from coral and not shells. Supposedly this is also why it does not get hot, the way that other beaches do. I think the coral is what also makes it so soft, it is literally like walking on flour in some parts.
After traveling for most of the day we were finally able to settle in and hit the town. Not intending to stay out while walking down the main strip Alisa made a friend at a bar called Summer Place. There were a group of people sitting at a table and the two girls at the table happened to have 6 shots each in front of them, all different colors, but I'm sure of all the same strength. So Alisa, being the friendly and spontaenous person she is goes up to them and says "Are you really going to finish all those shots?" And lo and behold they do, which ends of being the kick off for our first night out in Boracay. What began as a stroll along the beach to find dinner turned into a free Mongolian barbeque, free beers, a pitcher of god knows what with a straw in it for just about every person at the bar, dancing, watching the antics of the two French girls who had taken the shots (one of them being Alisa's dress ending up over her head because one of the girls thought it would be funny, luckily Alisa was wearing shorts...Tessa and Alisa, I don't know who's argument that supports), new friends, and a long and lovely night walk right in the water back to the hotel. It turns out that Summer Place is one of the #1 spots to go to when you're in Boracay. Good job Alisa!!
The next day was pretty jam packed and busy because it was Tessa and Alisa's last day in the Philippines and we had a lot on our to do list, one of the higher priorities of course being lounging on the beach. And lucky for us we were able to maximize our time by not going to sleep at all that night. After getting everything done we needed to do, we left our hotel room at about midnight looking for some fun. The typical kind wasn't really there, it being a Sunday night, it was kind of quiet, probably one of the bigger distinction between Boracay and Cancun. But what we did find was a group of locals who'd just gotten off work and were practicing a dance for their staff Christmas party. Just like in the states there are lots of Christmas parties for friends, coworkers and family, except here there are dozens of choreographed dances performed, this one looks like it took weeks, and they still had some time to go. So Tessa, Alisa and I jumped in and learned the dance, while Paolo was the ever-so-important photographer (pictures to come later). Everybody was so nice, and they didn't laugh when we messed up and again another random meeting ended up turning into an all night party, complete with the favored rum of the Philippines, Tanduay. I don't know if you can get it in the states, but it has a nice flavor, mild, but as always, good with coke.
I think one of the most interesting things about Boracay is that you feel as if you're in Hawaii not the Philippines. There's lots of tourguides, and windsurfers, etc. in board shorts and t-shirts, or sometimes no shirts. Most everybody speaks English and there's something different about the people we met there. Everybody seems to be migrants too, I think that's the case in a lot of places where there is a lot of tourist money. But everybody we met was from a different province, many of them from different islands altogether, some of them Roxas, some from Cebu, everybody from somewhere that they couldn't really afford to get back to anytime in the near future. It didn't make a lot of sense to me when I was talking to this guy. He said they make about 4000 pesos a month (800 US/month) and their rent is about 700 pesos. Utilities, and food, etc. can't possibly be 3,300. But he said that after his expenses, he has just a little to spare for spending money. What I didn't get at first is that all that extra money after the 700 for rent is usually sent home to wherever they're from. It's such a tough concept for me to understand. Leaving home for an opportunity and then only being able to go back every so often, and even in jobs where they make extra money for tips. It's a bittersweet feeling I have being able to do all the island hopping I have on this trip. On one hand I get to see so much of the Philippines, but on the other for the average Filipino they can't afford to island hop.
After a long night of rumming, and talking, we said goodnight to our new friends and the four of us sat on the beach, just before sunrise, taking in one last night together under the stars and next to the sea.
After traveling for most of the day we were finally able to settle in and hit the town. Not intending to stay out while walking down the main strip Alisa made a friend at a bar called Summer Place. There were a group of people sitting at a table and the two girls at the table happened to have 6 shots each in front of them, all different colors, but I'm sure of all the same strength. So Alisa, being the friendly and spontaenous person she is goes up to them and says "Are you really going to finish all those shots?" And lo and behold they do, which ends of being the kick off for our first night out in Boracay. What began as a stroll along the beach to find dinner turned into a free Mongolian barbeque, free beers, a pitcher of god knows what with a straw in it for just about every person at the bar, dancing, watching the antics of the two French girls who had taken the shots (one of them being Alisa's dress ending up over her head because one of the girls thought it would be funny, luckily Alisa was wearing shorts...Tessa and Alisa, I don't know who's argument that supports), new friends, and a long and lovely night walk right in the water back to the hotel. It turns out that Summer Place is one of the #1 spots to go to when you're in Boracay. Good job Alisa!!
The next day was pretty jam packed and busy because it was Tessa and Alisa's last day in the Philippines and we had a lot on our to do list, one of the higher priorities of course being lounging on the beach. And lucky for us we were able to maximize our time by not going to sleep at all that night. After getting everything done we needed to do, we left our hotel room at about midnight looking for some fun. The typical kind wasn't really there, it being a Sunday night, it was kind of quiet, probably one of the bigger distinction between Boracay and Cancun. But what we did find was a group of locals who'd just gotten off work and were practicing a dance for their staff Christmas party. Just like in the states there are lots of Christmas parties for friends, coworkers and family, except here there are dozens of choreographed dances performed, this one looks like it took weeks, and they still had some time to go. So Tessa, Alisa and I jumped in and learned the dance, while Paolo was the ever-so-important photographer (pictures to come later). Everybody was so nice, and they didn't laugh when we messed up and again another random meeting ended up turning into an all night party, complete with the favored rum of the Philippines, Tanduay. I don't know if you can get it in the states, but it has a nice flavor, mild, but as always, good with coke.
I think one of the most interesting things about Boracay is that you feel as if you're in Hawaii not the Philippines. There's lots of tourguides, and windsurfers, etc. in board shorts and t-shirts, or sometimes no shirts. Most everybody speaks English and there's something different about the people we met there. Everybody seems to be migrants too, I think that's the case in a lot of places where there is a lot of tourist money. But everybody we met was from a different province, many of them from different islands altogether, some of them Roxas, some from Cebu, everybody from somewhere that they couldn't really afford to get back to anytime in the near future. It didn't make a lot of sense to me when I was talking to this guy. He said they make about 4000 pesos a month (800 US/month) and their rent is about 700 pesos. Utilities, and food, etc. can't possibly be 3,300. But he said that after his expenses, he has just a little to spare for spending money. What I didn't get at first is that all that extra money after the 700 for rent is usually sent home to wherever they're from. It's such a tough concept for me to understand. Leaving home for an opportunity and then only being able to go back every so often, and even in jobs where they make extra money for tips. It's a bittersweet feeling I have being able to do all the island hopping I have on this trip. On one hand I get to see so much of the Philippines, but on the other for the average Filipino they can't afford to island hop.
After a long night of rumming, and talking, we said goodnight to our new friends and the four of us sat on the beach, just before sunrise, taking in one last night together under the stars and next to the sea.
The Cancun of The Philippines
After leaving Bohol, Tessa, Alisa, Paolo and I headed off on yet another early morning, to the beautiful island of Boracay. Boracay is a really touristy place in the Philippines off the coast of the island of Panay in what's known as the Visayas. Confusing right. Well, the long and short of it is that Boracay is considered the Cancun of the Philippines. White sand beaches, 6 shots in a row, resorts dotted along the beach, fake sunglasses, sipping drinks with umbrellas, you get the idea. It's a beautiful place, albeit crowded, but getting there is another story. There are two airports you can fly into, Caticlan and Kalibo. For anyone going there it's better to fly into Caticlan because it is closer than Kalibo. Luckily we flew into Caticlan, but we still had to ride a shuttle from the airport to the ferry dock. Then we had to take a ferry over to the island of Boracay and then a tricycle to the resort we were staying at, Boracay Tropics. Tropics was nice, a little bit pricey, but you get a pool, friendly staff, and tootbrushes and razors for each guest, and a complimentary water. It was a really nice place to stay at, but we weren't really in the hotel much, so for anyone planning on going there and planning on going out a lot or spending a lot of time on the beach, go with cheaper accomodations
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Boholed up in Paradise
Upon approaching Pamilkayan island, off the coast of Bohol, it was as if we were joining in on a summit of the 4 elements. The sea beneath us, the sky all around us, the earth getting closer and closer, and the sun rising faster and faster. The sound of the motorboat was deafening at first, then it kind of faded into the background as I began to realize what a beautiful place I was in, and just how big the sky is.
I couldn't have asked for more in Bohol, the island we moved onto after Manila. We stayed at an organic bee farm and happened to be upgraded to the next best accomodation, because the one we'd booked wasn't available. We basically had a little 2 story island cottage to ourselves, in a very secluded very unique resort in Bohol. They grow their own organic herbs and harvest organic honey and use it in every dish, and let me tell you, the food was amazing. We have had such delicious meals here, huge ones too, and the food at the Bohol Bee Farm was nothing short of fantastic. There is so much to say about my whole trip, but for now, I just wanted to share the Bohol part of our trip because it was really just perfect, peaceful, beautiful, delicious, and so healthy too. Now, we are in the exact opposite of Bohol, Boracay, which is considered the Cancun of the Philippines. Lots of tourists, but still very beautiful. Actually, lastnight we found ourselves at a bar where they were celebrating the end of a 3 month beach clean up project. And the drinks were free and dinner was only 4 dollars for an all you can eat mongolian bareque. Tessa and Alisa leave tomorrow and while I am looking forward to the rest of my trip, I am so sad to see them go. But also excited that they will be home after their year of traveling around the world. Wow, I can't believe that pretty soon I will be home to, just in time for Christmas, so until then, bye!
I couldn't have asked for more in Bohol, the island we moved onto after Manila. We stayed at an organic bee farm and happened to be upgraded to the next best accomodation, because the one we'd booked wasn't available. We basically had a little 2 story island cottage to ourselves, in a very secluded very unique resort in Bohol. They grow their own organic herbs and harvest organic honey and use it in every dish, and let me tell you, the food was amazing. We have had such delicious meals here, huge ones too, and the food at the Bohol Bee Farm was nothing short of fantastic. There is so much to say about my whole trip, but for now, I just wanted to share the Bohol part of our trip because it was really just perfect, peaceful, beautiful, delicious, and so healthy too. Now, we are in the exact opposite of Bohol, Boracay, which is considered the Cancun of the Philippines. Lots of tourists, but still very beautiful. Actually, lastnight we found ourselves at a bar where they were celebrating the end of a 3 month beach clean up project. And the drinks were free and dinner was only 4 dollars for an all you can eat mongolian bareque. Tessa and Alisa leave tomorrow and while I am looking forward to the rest of my trip, I am so sad to see them go. But also excited that they will be home after their year of traveling around the world. Wow, I can't believe that pretty soon I will be home to, just in time for Christmas, so until then, bye!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Karaoke anyone??
After Tessa and Alisa arrived on Wednesday we've had lots of fun adventures. The first being trying to meet up with each other. :) On Thursday we took a tricycle, basically a bike with a little cab fitting anywhere from 1-10 people, when really it should hold 2, to Salinas Park in Rosario, which I think is another town bigger than Ligtong. When we got to the park we noticed there were some people singing, and after a while we realized they were doing not karaoke, but videoke as they call it here, which is basically just karaoke. And karoake is HUGE here, the first morning I woke up someone was having a party and were singing out of tune love songs from the 80's all day. It was glorious. The videoke we saw was in a public park and anyone who has change can go up to the karaoke machine and choose a song to sing. For anyone who's played karaoke before you know that the tv screen you read off of will usually have some sort of video playing, like waterfalls or a young couple in love eating ice cream, etc. Well this video screen's star was Alan Iverson, playing basketball with whatever team he plays with. I don't know how old the game was or if it was live, but it was definitely not what I would expect.
Then this older man started singing, maybe like 50 or 60. And he was quite the character. He had all kinds of different voices, mickey mouse voices, bass voices, yips and hollers, and of course, he was a phenomenal dancer. Tessa took a video that I'll have to share with everybody later, but he was a great singer, but really just really entertaining. We've got him singing Johnny B. Good.
There were other fun things about the day like going to this place that's named the Fun Mall, just a regular mall with ice cream, cell phones, clothes. But we got there because the tricycle driver thought we might want to see it. So we get there walk around for about 10 minutes, then take the escalator up to the next floor, walk around for another 10 minutes, and all of a sudden we were going right back down the escalator. I always think it's funny what other people here think we might enjoy. But I also think it's really funny what people must think of the things we find interesting or want to take pictures of. Like the public transportation here, are what they call jeepneys and baby buses. Small VW size vans painted in the wildest colors with names like Revenge and Romantico. Like those are the things people must find so mundane here but we're like scrambling to find our cameras so we can catch them before they fly away.
All this being said, the best part of the day was when I went over to my Lola Bosing's house to say hello. We were telling her and Tessie (Lola's niece) about our day and the videoke in the park. She was like oh, you must have seen Kuya Ruben, your cousin. And we were like could it be?? The crazy man in the park could be related to me?? no.... So we asked Tessie, is he older? yes, does he usually wear all black? yes Does he sing in really high pitched voices?? oh yes. Still to this point I was skeptical that I could have such talent in my family, but then we showed her a picture and she was like, oh yeah, that's him, he'll probably be here for Lola Bosing's birthday on Sunday!!! The videoke experience was fantastic all by itself, but to find out that the best/craziest performer there is my cousin, the best!
Gotta go, we're celebrating Lola Bosing's 86th birthday today, and they're roasting a pig for the occasion!
Then this older man started singing, maybe like 50 or 60. And he was quite the character. He had all kinds of different voices, mickey mouse voices, bass voices, yips and hollers, and of course, he was a phenomenal dancer. Tessa took a video that I'll have to share with everybody later, but he was a great singer, but really just really entertaining. We've got him singing Johnny B. Good.
There were other fun things about the day like going to this place that's named the Fun Mall, just a regular mall with ice cream, cell phones, clothes. But we got there because the tricycle driver thought we might want to see it. So we get there walk around for about 10 minutes, then take the escalator up to the next floor, walk around for another 10 minutes, and all of a sudden we were going right back down the escalator. I always think it's funny what other people here think we might enjoy. But I also think it's really funny what people must think of the things we find interesting or want to take pictures of. Like the public transportation here, are what they call jeepneys and baby buses. Small VW size vans painted in the wildest colors with names like Revenge and Romantico. Like those are the things people must find so mundane here but we're like scrambling to find our cameras so we can catch them before they fly away.
All this being said, the best part of the day was when I went over to my Lola Bosing's house to say hello. We were telling her and Tessie (Lola's niece) about our day and the videoke in the park. She was like oh, you must have seen Kuya Ruben, your cousin. And we were like could it be?? The crazy man in the park could be related to me?? no.... So we asked Tessie, is he older? yes, does he usually wear all black? yes Does he sing in really high pitched voices?? oh yes. Still to this point I was skeptical that I could have such talent in my family, but then we showed her a picture and she was like, oh yeah, that's him, he'll probably be here for Lola Bosing's birthday on Sunday!!! The videoke experience was fantastic all by itself, but to find out that the best/craziest performer there is my cousin, the best!
Gotta go, we're celebrating Lola Bosing's 86th birthday today, and they're roasting a pig for the occasion!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Crazy Past couple of Days!
Hello everybody!
So life in Ligtong (the town within Cavite where my family is from) had been relaxing, but somewhat slow paced since i've been here. That is, until Wednesday. It started out as an early morning, Grandma Erly goes to church on Wednesday mornings in Manila. So we got up around 5 to leave around 6, but didn't actually get out of the house until about 7 or so. Kuya Rey (Granmda Erly's nephew, but also driver) and Ate Grace (Grandma Erly's niece who is a nurse) met us so we could all go to MAnila together. Manila is about 45 minutes away no traffic. Ate Grace speaks English really well and is so sweet, and it was really wonderful to meet her, and even moreso for reasons you'll see soon. So we went to mass at a huge church, literally hundreds of people were in attendance. it was such a big church that there were tvs interspersed through the pews so people in back could see and hear the priest. It was a pretty plain church, not at all what i was expecting of Manila, what with the Spanish influence, but I guess the big spanish catholic center is on another island, Cebu, which for all of the island hopping we'll be doing, isn't one of our destinations.
Wednesday was the day also that Tessa and Alisa arrived in Manila. Although Tessa and Alisa assured me they would be ok finding there way to us, I had arranged for us to pick them up. Earlier that morning i called my Mom and she so kindly looked up there flight for me in my email because i wanted to double check the aiport they were flying into. Up until Tuesday evening I had no idea there were like 3 airports in Manila, and 1 2 hours away. So kI found out they were flying into Manila-Clark. Ok, got it. Next step, ask family where that is. Amidst a lot of tagolog speaking it was decided that was in Manila, and that it was close to where I came in, and since we were going to Manila for church it would be perfect. We would go to church, go to the duty free shop by the airport, then pick them up when they arrived at 11:15am. Perfect, right???
Wrong! We arrived at the airport Ninoy Aquino 3 around 11:30, and were told by the guard that Air Asia didn't fly into #3, but rather Ninoy Aquino 1. Little bit of panic, but it's ok because it's only another 30 minutes away in traffic. so we arrive at #1 only to find out that Air Asia doesn't fly into Ninoy Aquino #1, but rather Clark AirBase in Pampanga, 3 hours away from Manila. At this point, I still had my wits about me, trying to figure out what to do, but once we got in the car to head up to Pampanga, i just broke down crying. and poor Ate Grace was fanning my face and handing me tissues and telling me to calm down and that it would be ok. i just felt so stupid for not having planned better, and worried about Tessa and Alisa flying in and expecting us to be there and wondering where we were, and I think all of the emotions of being in the Philippines for the first time and by myself and not being able to communicate as easily as I'd expected all came flooding in at once and even as sweet and calming as Ate Grace and Kuya Rey were i took me like a good half hour to calm down. Which was ok, because i had to have something to do for the long ride up (jk). After calming down, it actually turned into a really fun day. despite all of the anxiety and worry it was almost like being in a movie where you see us passing each other in jeepneys without either of us knowing that we're right behind each other. In reality, tessa and Alisa had to take a bus to Manila and we were able to communicate by email and they hopped on another bus into cavite, where we told them we'd meet them. So finally after making it to Clark airbase and following their trail back down to cavite, we found each other at SM Bacoor which is a mall close to ligtong. We planned to meet in front of a pizza place at the mall and when Ate Grace and Kuya Rey and i approaced the front of the pizza place there was a stand I couldn't see behind but couldn't see anyone. As i walked closer i noticed some backpacks on the floor and then seconds later I saw Alisa sitting down, and i cannot even express the elation and the relief and the joy I felt seeing her! And then minutes later Tessa came from the bathroom and it was elation and joy all over again!! Finally a huge sigh of relief and then dinner at Kenny Rogers (a fried chicken food chain here, weird right?) Apparently while we were ordering food Alisa was talking to kuya Rey who told her "If Tessa and Alisa are on this island, we will find them" Which pretty much sums up the kindness and easy goingness of Ate Grace and Kuya Rey the whole day through all of it. I have to get going, but I am so happy that Tessa and Alisa are here and we're having a great time!!!
So life in Ligtong (the town within Cavite where my family is from) had been relaxing, but somewhat slow paced since i've been here. That is, until Wednesday. It started out as an early morning, Grandma Erly goes to church on Wednesday mornings in Manila. So we got up around 5 to leave around 6, but didn't actually get out of the house until about 7 or so. Kuya Rey (Granmda Erly's nephew, but also driver) and Ate Grace (Grandma Erly's niece who is a nurse) met us so we could all go to MAnila together. Manila is about 45 minutes away no traffic. Ate Grace speaks English really well and is so sweet, and it was really wonderful to meet her, and even moreso for reasons you'll see soon. So we went to mass at a huge church, literally hundreds of people were in attendance. it was such a big church that there were tvs interspersed through the pews so people in back could see and hear the priest. It was a pretty plain church, not at all what i was expecting of Manila, what with the Spanish influence, but I guess the big spanish catholic center is on another island, Cebu, which for all of the island hopping we'll be doing, isn't one of our destinations.
Wednesday was the day also that Tessa and Alisa arrived in Manila. Although Tessa and Alisa assured me they would be ok finding there way to us, I had arranged for us to pick them up. Earlier that morning i called my Mom and she so kindly looked up there flight for me in my email because i wanted to double check the aiport they were flying into. Up until Tuesday evening I had no idea there were like 3 airports in Manila, and 1 2 hours away. So kI found out they were flying into Manila-Clark. Ok, got it. Next step, ask family where that is. Amidst a lot of tagolog speaking it was decided that was in Manila, and that it was close to where I came in, and since we were going to Manila for church it would be perfect. We would go to church, go to the duty free shop by the airport, then pick them up when they arrived at 11:15am. Perfect, right???
Wrong! We arrived at the airport Ninoy Aquino 3 around 11:30, and were told by the guard that Air Asia didn't fly into #3, but rather Ninoy Aquino 1. Little bit of panic, but it's ok because it's only another 30 minutes away in traffic. so we arrive at #1 only to find out that Air Asia doesn't fly into Ninoy Aquino #1, but rather Clark AirBase in Pampanga, 3 hours away from Manila. At this point, I still had my wits about me, trying to figure out what to do, but once we got in the car to head up to Pampanga, i just broke down crying. and poor Ate Grace was fanning my face and handing me tissues and telling me to calm down and that it would be ok. i just felt so stupid for not having planned better, and worried about Tessa and Alisa flying in and expecting us to be there and wondering where we were, and I think all of the emotions of being in the Philippines for the first time and by myself and not being able to communicate as easily as I'd expected all came flooding in at once and even as sweet and calming as Ate Grace and Kuya Rey were i took me like a good half hour to calm down. Which was ok, because i had to have something to do for the long ride up (jk). After calming down, it actually turned into a really fun day. despite all of the anxiety and worry it was almost like being in a movie where you see us passing each other in jeepneys without either of us knowing that we're right behind each other. In reality, tessa and Alisa had to take a bus to Manila and we were able to communicate by email and they hopped on another bus into cavite, where we told them we'd meet them. So finally after making it to Clark airbase and following their trail back down to cavite, we found each other at SM Bacoor which is a mall close to ligtong. We planned to meet in front of a pizza place at the mall and when Ate Grace and Kuya Rey and i approaced the front of the pizza place there was a stand I couldn't see behind but couldn't see anyone. As i walked closer i noticed some backpacks on the floor and then seconds later I saw Alisa sitting down, and i cannot even express the elation and the relief and the joy I felt seeing her! And then minutes later Tessa came from the bathroom and it was elation and joy all over again!! Finally a huge sigh of relief and then dinner at Kenny Rogers (a fried chicken food chain here, weird right?) Apparently while we were ordering food Alisa was talking to kuya Rey who told her "If Tessa and Alisa are on this island, we will find them" Which pretty much sums up the kindness and easy goingness of Ate Grace and Kuya Rey the whole day through all of it. I have to get going, but I am so happy that Tessa and Alisa are here and we're having a great time!!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Cavite
Hello all!
So I am here. After getting into Ninoy Aquino airport on Saturday night (after 18 hours worth of travel) I was greeted at the airport by Mr. Ferrer (my coworker Lana's Dad). I had brought some stuff over for her sister and he was so kind to come meet me at the aiport. Thank God he was there because navigating the airport is a little tricky. Especially once you get finished with baggage claim and go outside to see a sea of people, most of them not holding signs with your name on it. But luckily there are letters underneath the ceiling so that you can find your family a little bit easier. And apparently there's more traffic than usual because everybody is coming home for the holidays.
So I found Grandma Erly (my grandma's sister-in-law) and I was greeted with a big hug and a kiss, but I think she was a little weary of Mr. Ferrer, I guess i should have told her about that part before I left. Whoops, but after a little explanation from Mr. Ferrer it was ok, and we all waited for Grandma Erly's driver, Rey to come pick us up. The ride to Cavite is about half an hour, and it took us through a town called Bacoor, and then we ended up in Ligtong, which is the name of the city my family is from. Everybody is preparing for Christmas, with lights up everywhere, of all different colors, and these star lights that kind of look like pinatas, but without the candy inside of them.
So I've been spending most of my time at Grandma Erly's house, but I did get to go to see Lola Bosing (grandma's sister) and we hugged and kissed when I got to her house. And I can't even express the sense of happiness I feel to see the house where my Dad was born, and my aunts and uncles too. Yesterday I went upstairs, where Lola Bosing can't go anymore because of her weak knees and it was like stepping into part of a museum (in a good way). There were all kinds of books from who knows when, and a couple of bedrooms that I'm assuming is where all the kids were born. I tried to step so carefully, because I thought the floor might fall out underneath me, but I was both nervous and elated at the same time. It's really interesting walking down the street and thinking of my Dad as a little kid walking down the same streets, and what it must have looked like back then.
Even though it's the first time I'm here, when I touched down it reminded me of some of the other places I've been. The heat makes me feel like it's Jamaica, the smells often remind me of Cuba and Ghana, but it's distinctly different, and home and not home at the same time.
My thoughts are kind of scattered, because it's the first time I've been able to express myself in English for awhile. Grandma Erly and Grandma Bosing both speak broken English, and of course my tagalog is terrible, but I'm learning little by little, especially with Luz's (Grandma Erly's maid) help. I guess I should have studied all those tagalog books a little bit better before I left, oh well, from scratch is better anwyay, right?? I'll come back fluent. (Ha!).
Well, my time's running out, and I have so much to tell, but I'll have to save it for the next blog. Tessa and Alisa will be joining me tomorrow, and then Paolo will join us on Saturday. So the adventure will continue... Until then, bye!
So I am here. After getting into Ninoy Aquino airport on Saturday night (after 18 hours worth of travel) I was greeted at the airport by Mr. Ferrer (my coworker Lana's Dad). I had brought some stuff over for her sister and he was so kind to come meet me at the aiport. Thank God he was there because navigating the airport is a little tricky. Especially once you get finished with baggage claim and go outside to see a sea of people, most of them not holding signs with your name on it. But luckily there are letters underneath the ceiling so that you can find your family a little bit easier. And apparently there's more traffic than usual because everybody is coming home for the holidays.
So I found Grandma Erly (my grandma's sister-in-law) and I was greeted with a big hug and a kiss, but I think she was a little weary of Mr. Ferrer, I guess i should have told her about that part before I left. Whoops, but after a little explanation from Mr. Ferrer it was ok, and we all waited for Grandma Erly's driver, Rey to come pick us up. The ride to Cavite is about half an hour, and it took us through a town called Bacoor, and then we ended up in Ligtong, which is the name of the city my family is from. Everybody is preparing for Christmas, with lights up everywhere, of all different colors, and these star lights that kind of look like pinatas, but without the candy inside of them.
So I've been spending most of my time at Grandma Erly's house, but I did get to go to see Lola Bosing (grandma's sister) and we hugged and kissed when I got to her house. And I can't even express the sense of happiness I feel to see the house where my Dad was born, and my aunts and uncles too. Yesterday I went upstairs, where Lola Bosing can't go anymore because of her weak knees and it was like stepping into part of a museum (in a good way). There were all kinds of books from who knows when, and a couple of bedrooms that I'm assuming is where all the kids were born. I tried to step so carefully, because I thought the floor might fall out underneath me, but I was both nervous and elated at the same time. It's really interesting walking down the street and thinking of my Dad as a little kid walking down the same streets, and what it must have looked like back then.
Even though it's the first time I'm here, when I touched down it reminded me of some of the other places I've been. The heat makes me feel like it's Jamaica, the smells often remind me of Cuba and Ghana, but it's distinctly different, and home and not home at the same time.
My thoughts are kind of scattered, because it's the first time I've been able to express myself in English for awhile. Grandma Erly and Grandma Bosing both speak broken English, and of course my tagalog is terrible, but I'm learning little by little, especially with Luz's (Grandma Erly's maid) help. I guess I should have studied all those tagalog books a little bit better before I left, oh well, from scratch is better anwyay, right?? I'll come back fluent. (Ha!).
Well, my time's running out, and I have so much to tell, but I'll have to save it for the next blog. Tessa and Alisa will be joining me tomorrow, and then Paolo will join us on Saturday. So the adventure will continue... Until then, bye!
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