The Philippines – it is my hometown, my birthplace, my childhood. And yet, before the Spring of 2009, I only remembered bits and pieces of it. After eight years of living in California, my mom and I decided it was finally time to take a visit to the place we were born in. During that 15-hour plane ride, I had no idea what to expect. I was only seven when we moved to the United States, and my memories of my old country consisted of happy, playful moments with my cousins, my grandparents, and my mom; as was every other childhood memory. Little did I know there was so much more to be found.
As soon as I stepped off the plane, it assaulted me – the harsh humidity and heat. I had been expecting it, but I had forgotten how it would be like. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. When my aunt and uncle picked us up from the airport, I had the opportunity to observe my surroundings; but it was nothing like I dreamt or remembered it to be. The streets were loaded with trash and people living off them, and some houses were so compacted and poorly structured that, come a rainstorm, were doomed to be destroyed. Children who were not even of school age were selling homemade items or food on the streets. Other children, just as young, ran from one vehicle to another, amidst the traffic, begging commuters for food or money. I’d never seen such struggle for survival.
When we arrived at my old house, all my childhood memories came flowing back to me – and I had the chance to live them again. My dear cousins and I finally reunited, and though it was a bit awkward at first, we got back to the swing of things. The first thing we did was play in the playground across the street under the pouring rain. It was the most fun I’ve had in years, and at that moment, it felt like I never left. Amazement filled me as I realized how easy it was to feel joy from the simplest of things.
That joy, however, came to a halt when we went back inside the house. I went to the bathroom to wash up and, to my surprise, there was no shower – only a faucet, a bucket, and a water dipper (in Tagalog, it’s known as a “tabo”). How was I supposed to take a bath using those? I had grown so accustomed to convenient shower heads and I knew this was going to be a challenge. To make matters worse, there was no hot water. However, I managed to get through the inconvenience.
The next morning, as I was getting ready for yet another day of surprises, one of my cousins, Helina, watched me put makeup on and asked, “Why do you put makeup on? None of us do.” In fact, unless there is a special occasion, teenage girls in the Philippines do not normally wear makeup. In fact, most schools prohibit girls from wearing them. They cannot even color their nails without getting in trouble at school, where even public schools have uniforms. Girls are also expected to wear more conservative clothes than we are used to.
As we ate breakfast, I noticed that my cousins, and even their parents, ate in very small portions. My aunt explained to me that it was a way to conserve food and money. It saddened me so much that my relatives could not even eat their fill of food, while I had been taking food for granted in the US, throwing away whatever I did not feel like eating anymore.
We went to visit my great grandfather that day, in a house where you had to crouch down to enter through the doorway. My cousins took turns kissing his hand as a form of respect, a practice I have long forgotten. Other great aunts and uncles also came to his house upon learning that we were visiting. He told me stories about the way my grandparents and parents used to live, about how they had to work at very, very young age to help support the family. All the children have to wake up very early to do their share of house and farm work before heading to school. Even as they understood the importance of education, schoolwork took second priority over a child’s responsibilities to the family’s livelihood. Siblings had to help raise their younger siblings.
I cannot imagine such a life. I’ve been so lucky to have my mom support me and give me all the things she did not have the luxury to have.
Spring of 2009 was the right time for me to go back to my birthplace. I was young enough to remember and old enough to understand. It opened my eyes to three things:
First is the extent of my mom’s sacrifice. My mom has made a big sacrifice in leaving her whole life behind to give me an opportunity for a better life. Even with the hardships in the Philippines, I know that being uprooted from your family, friends, and basically everything you are, cannot be easy.
Second is to remember who I was, a part of me that I should never forget. The Filipino values that should be treasured – love for God and family, respect for elders.
Third is to appreciate what I have become and what I can become. My life’s blessing is not only to have had the opportunity to move to the United States and enjoy everything this country has to offer. I feel more blessed because I see it now with new eyes. All the things that I used to take for granted, I now appreciate a thousand times more than most people can ever do. I always remind myself to always seize every opportunity that come my way, as if it is being offered to me on a silver platter.
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That's a great creativity and fun living place for children. I think Henri Landwirth has done a real great job for children knowing the ancient time and with that enjoying the world village of fairy tales and lot more.
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Around the beginning of August of 2011 my parents decided to take a cruise to Mexico. At first I didn't want to go because my classes that I had at high school were College level classes and I didn't want to fall behind in them. It was my senior year, and I wanted to be on top of things. I would think that I would want to go and miss days of school, but this time around I was more focused on my education than anything. I fought really hard to stay in Florida, where I originally lived, so that I could focus on my studies, sadly, I had no choice but to go with them.
Upon arrival on the cruise things were ok. Actually it was more than ok. It was something I never experienced before. It was a mixture of different emotions. When I arrived, we had to go through a metal detector for obvious reasons. I thought I was in the clear, but every time I walked through, it would beep and I would be told to go back. I was sent back at least 10 times until the people behind me started to get mad. After about the 12th time, I finally realized what prevented me from going through. It was my belt. I had to take it off, and I thought it would be no big deal, but the minute I took it off, my pants began to drop. I quickly grabbed it, but then the officers gave me back all of my items that were metal, and without thinking I let go my pants and grabbed for the items, and the expected happened. My pants dropped. Luckily I had on long boxer shorts, but what was on the boxer shorts were even more embarrassing. My boxers had Sponge bob on it. What made it worse was that the little girl behind me saw it and shouted in excitement "Sponge Bob" and ran up to me and hugged my boxers. An outburst of laughter changed the angry crowds mood. Boy, was that embarrassing. After the embarrassing moment, it relieved some tension that I had about not going on the cruise. Even I had to admit that it was pretty funny. Eventually we settled in, got comfortable and cruised right along to Mexico.
Now since I live in Florida, I thought Florida was Hot, I was wrong. The instant I stepped off the boat into the sun, I felt as if the sun it self was cooking my face. The only way to describe or even come close to explain how hot it was is to tell you how I felt. The sun was so bright that my eyes squinted so hard that eventually after the trip I got wrinkles on my forehead from squinting so hard. I never felt a heat wave so strong as to where it made me regret ever stepping off the boat. Try standing a hot sun all day with your head hurting, eyes, and forehead. Any shade that I found was heaven for me; cause walking around in the sun was hell. The sun seriously cooked my face in to look a certain way. When I came back to Florida, everyone said that I looked older and angry. I laughed because I knew exactly why it looked the way it did.
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Nice piece of information! May I reference part of this on my blog if I post a back link to this web page? Thanks.
Glad you found Bethany's story on traveling in Rome helpful. You are welcome to quote from it on your blog, but we ask that you please give your readers the link back to the full story so they can get all the details. Then, please email us through the Contact Us form below so we can see your blog!
thanks Kyle
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You're absolutely right, but for most families, these special occasion restaurants are a once in a lifetime occasion.
And foodie NY families also take advantage of the city's 2 annual Restaurant Weeks. They're usually for a month (I know it's called Week!) in Feb-Mar and in summer of 2011, it's from July 11-24. All lunches charge $24.07 and all dinners cost $35, and in the past, these 2 amazing restaurants and many others of their calibre have participated in Restaurant Week.
So, that's certainly a good time to get the kids dressed up and show them an amazing foodie night on the town. Check out : http://www.nycgo.com/restaurantweek for details. And bon appetit!
Per se and La Bernadin are two of the best restaurants in NYC, possibly the world. But dinner for 2 will cost several hundred dollars at each one. They're not within reach of most families.
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Hours
10 am–4 pm Tuesday through Friday
10 am–5 pm Saturday
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Closed on Mondays * and Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's Day
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Admission Prices
Adult admission $9
Youth (under 18), Student, Teacher and Senior Admission $6
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You are too funny! I actually wrote 6 guidebooks about Greece for the Frommer series, so yes, I know it pretty well. Changing fast though! Thanks for your comments. Kyle
Are there any East African cruises which combine with a Tanzania safari – http://www.ziarasafaris.com — or is the horn of Africa deemed to dangerous to pass through en-route for cruise ships?
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