I made it to the Philippines.
I made it to the Philippines.
I. MADE. IT. TO. THE. PHILIPPPINES.
The best part of being in the Philippines is that everything is so Filipino. So familiar, yet so foreign—the big buckets full of water to shower with, the Skyflakes, the accents, the food. It’s just like going to Grandma’s house in Historic Filipino Town. Hearing people speak Tagalog is like being in the middle of a Filipino party again. The old people remind me of my grandparents and I can envision Dad walking around town with his brothers causing trouble.
My grandparents brought the Philippines with them when they immigrated to the States; I wasn’t aware of it until this experience. Because I’m in in the Philippines, I can draw connections between how we (referring to anyone who was born/come to the States) were raised in the states and how my grandparents were raised here in the PI. Everything is SO FILIPINO. I know I'm stating the obvious, but our upbringing makes so much more sense. My grandparents’ house in Filipino town has similar characteristics to the ones here—the clotheslines, banana trees, the Santo Niños, and mini altars, even the sinks look the same (weird thing to notice, yeah?). And the clothes they wear, the clothes—mismatched, multicolored, and beanies or some kind of hat—I can’t tell you how much it reminds me of Grandma San Juan.
One of the highlights of this trip so far was traveling two hours south to Morong, Rizal, to see the roots of our family and where it all began. From the house Dad grew up in, to the elementary school he went to, and the Church where my grandparents on Mom’s side were married, we saw the history of my family before we were even a family. I’m so proud of my family, to see where they came from and to see what they have made of themselves.
Cheers to family and diggin’ through your roots…
TOTALLY! And other similarities I've noticed:
ReplyDelete- The way the windows latch shut in Grandma SJ's house with the little hook and eyelet;
- The big bucket in the shower catching water with the little bucket in it (Side note: Ken did take a "buhus" bath one day)
- The pots that Grandma SJ uses that sit on the table without refrigeration (Hello, Rest Stop food!)
- The hundreds of plants that grow out of every possible container crammed on any open space outside like Nanay's house.
- The love of cement to fix everthing. I recall there being a good deal of cement that Grandpa used to pour around his house.
- And finally, for now, the reason Grandpa always said to keep your hands inside a moving call ALL THE TIME. Because if you don't, at least here in the PI, it really could get lopped off by a speeding/oncoming/passing car, jeepney, tricycle inches away.
It all makes sense!
hahaha KJay! Im So pumped for you! I love the way you word things. I cant help but feel like i am having a conversation with you! Just over a week huh? then waht??? home?!?! haha Love you and miss you dude! glad your having a blast!
ReplyDeletehey wait a minute, who are you calling a trouble maker??? come to think of it, it's actually true!!!! but i'm the guilty one, your uncles were too young to cause any problems.one example was when uncle alan had a fair fight with his classmate(name bernie, now here in the state, lives in SF)of course i want uncle alan to win but when i saw that he was loosing the fight i jumped in and punched bernie out... when bernie's mom found out what i did, she chased me allover san gilmo...what about being a bullie!!! one time i made efren(don't know where he is now) kneel on a handfull of rough salt...i still have recollections of horrible things i did growing up in the pi that make me laugh, they are funny when i think about now.(not that i'm happy i did it).kids don't know any better and i was being a kid....nice kris!!!
ReplyDeleteI live though your words and picture myself there with you. I can only imagine the thoughts running in your mind about how it feels. I know that you're stoked to see the beginnings of our family and the history of it all. Putting together the stories we've been told of and being in that same very place must have so much meaning... keep going little sister! love you!
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