Coming Home, Coming Back
The week was quick. Six whole days in Manila was what I had. It was worthwhile and full. I made sure there was also a balance of rest in between. I learned from the last trip-running 70 mph then getting sick and being forced to sacrifice precious days just to get well.
Speaking of learning, I prepped myself for the allergies that accompany me when I go back. I lugged tons of allergy medication; oral, nasal and optical; regular and for congestion. Good to realize I was not greeted with the usual itchy, watery eyes and sneezes. Wonderful start.
The weather was rainy. I was blessed to have a safe landing and take-off, no rain. Everyone was teasing I brought in the rain because the very night of my arrival, the typhoon came. School was cancelled for 2 days and government work for 1 day due to the rain. It was raining every single day. I was reminded of my childhood again, of sitting by the window on cancelled schooldays watching the palm trees bend with the wind and listening to the pounding of the rain. I was reminded of how different that part of the world was. Tropical storms hardly come down strong continuously. It pours down hard, and then it softens to a drizzle or even a stop, and it starts again. Mornings are usually dry giving the sun a chance to peek from behind the clouds. The rains come in the afternoons. Only in this part of the world do you see people out in the streets when the rain comes. Clad in flip flops, shorts and t-shirt, people are out enjoying the downpour. A constant joke among Filipinos is 'Save water, take a shower in the rain.' I enjoyed observing this phenomenon. A stark contrast to storms here in California - a constant drizzle equals a storm and it is cold, cold, cold.
This trip reminded me of how people describe Cuba - a land where time stopped. I noticed a lot of cars from when I was growing up still running the streets. It dawned on me how life is still hard. It takes years for people to save up for cars to transport them places, and when they finally get one, they hold on to it for dear life because it is not easy acquiring them. There are still beggars in the streets, rain or shine. Pollution is constantly increasing with the smoke-belching buses and jeepneys running the streets and no one to curb this. Public infrastructure has not grown with the growth of the population making the city extremely crowded. I was very blessed I did not experience the nasty traffic Manila is infamous for.
Yet, I can not use this Cuban adage to totally describe Manila. There is progress and change around, evident in the new cars in the streets (a BMW Z4 Roadster zoomed past me one day) and the new malls (Mall of Asia is said to be the biggest in the region). Even the old malls have been remodeled like new. Condo living is the "in" style of living with numerous buildings on the rise.
These are merely my observations. I know I am very blessed for what I have and the life I live now. And that life is really more than just your car or your condo - a realization that I would not have if it weren't for my situation now.
Coming home, means coming back to old friends. As before, I only informed those most dearly to me of my visit. And I was able to see, hear and touch all of them.
It started out with TLC - The Leather Collection - a company I used to work for. As we sat and filled in each other with our lives, it is nice to know there is still tender, loving, care there in spite of the distance and time apart.
Then the Kulasas - my grade school and high school friends. It was wonderful to see them and talk of the old times. We were ever so busy catching up on our lives and gossiping about others.
My University friends came right after. It was bittersweet as one of us now resides in New Jersey. Though I reassured them she was fine as I spent some time with her here in Los Angeles, there was still a piece missing from our group. So we ended up calling her, passing the phone around, over dinner.
Lastly, but never the least, was my family. I was able to see my 91 year old grandfather and spend some quick but quality time with him. It was a joy to see his face light up upon hearing my voice. I was shocked to discover how sharp his mind still is; remembering exactly how many years since I last saw him - 3. I made sure I spent time with each and everyone of my family members, asking how their lives are. It was magical to hear them laugh again and experience our banter as a family. I felt like a social butterfly, though, flying from one shoulder to another, staying just long enough to let them feel my presence.
This was what I came for, family and friends. This is what coming home and coming back is all about. 'Till next time.....
Speaking of learning, I prepped myself for the allergies that accompany me when I go back. I lugged tons of allergy medication; oral, nasal and optical; regular and for congestion. Good to realize I was not greeted with the usual itchy, watery eyes and sneezes. Wonderful start.
The weather was rainy. I was blessed to have a safe landing and take-off, no rain. Everyone was teasing I brought in the rain because the very night of my arrival, the typhoon came. School was cancelled for 2 days and government work for 1 day due to the rain. It was raining every single day. I was reminded of my childhood again, of sitting by the window on cancelled schooldays watching the palm trees bend with the wind and listening to the pounding of the rain. I was reminded of how different that part of the world was. Tropical storms hardly come down strong continuously. It pours down hard, and then it softens to a drizzle or even a stop, and it starts again. Mornings are usually dry giving the sun a chance to peek from behind the clouds. The rains come in the afternoons. Only in this part of the world do you see people out in the streets when the rain comes. Clad in flip flops, shorts and t-shirt, people are out enjoying the downpour. A constant joke among Filipinos is 'Save water, take a shower in the rain.' I enjoyed observing this phenomenon. A stark contrast to storms here in California - a constant drizzle equals a storm and it is cold, cold, cold.
This trip reminded me of how people describe Cuba - a land where time stopped. I noticed a lot of cars from when I was growing up still running the streets. It dawned on me how life is still hard. It takes years for people to save up for cars to transport them places, and when they finally get one, they hold on to it for dear life because it is not easy acquiring them. There are still beggars in the streets, rain or shine. Pollution is constantly increasing with the smoke-belching buses and jeepneys running the streets and no one to curb this. Public infrastructure has not grown with the growth of the population making the city extremely crowded. I was very blessed I did not experience the nasty traffic Manila is infamous for.
Yet, I can not use this Cuban adage to totally describe Manila. There is progress and change around, evident in the new cars in the streets (a BMW Z4 Roadster zoomed past me one day) and the new malls (Mall of Asia is said to be the biggest in the region). Even the old malls have been remodeled like new. Condo living is the "in" style of living with numerous buildings on the rise.
These are merely my observations. I know I am very blessed for what I have and the life I live now. And that life is really more than just your car or your condo - a realization that I would not have if it weren't for my situation now.
Coming home, means coming back to old friends. As before, I only informed those most dearly to me of my visit. And I was able to see, hear and touch all of them.
It started out with TLC - The Leather Collection - a company I used to work for. As we sat and filled in each other with our lives, it is nice to know there is still tender, loving, care there in spite of the distance and time apart.
Then the Kulasas - my grade school and high school friends. It was wonderful to see them and talk of the old times. We were ever so busy catching up on our lives and gossiping about others.
My University friends came right after. It was bittersweet as one of us now resides in New Jersey. Though I reassured them she was fine as I spent some time with her here in Los Angeles, there was still a piece missing from our group. So we ended up calling her, passing the phone around, over dinner.
Lastly, but never the least, was my family. I was able to see my 91 year old grandfather and spend some quick but quality time with him. It was a joy to see his face light up upon hearing my voice. I was shocked to discover how sharp his mind still is; remembering exactly how many years since I last saw him - 3. I made sure I spent time with each and everyone of my family members, asking how their lives are. It was magical to hear them laugh again and experience our banter as a family. I felt like a social butterfly, though, flying from one shoulder to another, staying just long enough to let them feel my presence.
This was what I came for, family and friends. This is what coming home and coming back is all about. 'Till next time.....
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