islandgirls

Before we talk about our Valentine’s Day outing, we have to report on its aftermath. We got home around 5:45 p.m. After lugging our purchases into the house, we changed our clothes. Some people started unpacking the remaining bits of food while Rosario and I cornered Uncle Junior with our questions from the trip. Francesca complained of a pain in her abdomen and went to lie down. We had a delicious meal of leftovers from the last few days and teased Manong Junior about his lack of cooking ability (he tried to cook rice while we were gone but according to Coreen, apparently it didn’t turn out very satisfactorily). Which led me to comment that the instructions of Great-grandfather Santiago to his sons had obviously not made it through to the current generations (Santiago told his ... read more

Rosario says it's time to add some new pictures of food. Everyone is anxious for us to try all of the local specialties. Fortunately, they usually prepare only a small portion of each dish -- and there are plenty of willing tasters -- so we only eat a few bites of each thing - with lots of rice, of course!... read more

Well, yesterday afternoon we walked over to the next block, where my nephews Jose and Ben live with their families, and spent some time hanging out at the Mangaoang store. The girls played badminton and volleyball in the street with their cousins, and I sat and talked with my nephews Ben and Galileo (the oldest) and met lots of nieces and nephews and lots and lots of children. (A digression, if you please, on the blessing of children. Upon meeting an older relative, Filipino children are taught to take the elder’s hand and raise it to their foreheads so that the elder can bless them. At this moment, my brother has 29 great-grandchildren (including Abigail’s two-week-old daughter, Angel Eloisa), so I’m getting plenty of practice. Although technically, I’m their aunt or great-aunt or great-great-aunt, everyone has ... read more

Toti is one the two twins who are the youngest of Inocencio. On our first day here in Aringay we visited his house on Santa Rita East that is just across the main road from Santa Rita West where we are staying. His daughter Tessa and son Markus were there. We also met his sister-in-law since his mother-in-law is right next door. Unfortunately, his wife Nerissa is working in Hong Kong right now. As a commercial electrician, I've been doing my usual visual scan of how things are put together. Electrical is much different here. Because of the humidity, most construction is concrete or masonry, so wiring is surface mounted romex. Uncle Toti is an electrician and has used his electrical knowledge to bring home the fish, literally. There is a picture of a device that ... read more

Being a newbie to Asian travel, I emailed my doctor's office a few months ago to ask about vaccinations, etc. (I have Group Health, and for those fortunate to live in its coverage area and see its amusing commercials with the emailing doctor, it's all true). I got an email back that told me I needed to call a number and make a telephone appointment with . . . The Travel Nurse. Couldn't get an appointment for a few weeks, but it turned out to be well worth the wait. When the Travel Nurse called me for my appointment, she was completely familiar with both my personal medical record and the requirements for travel to the Philippines and Korea (we have a 12-hour layover at Incheon Airport on the return trip). She explained to me all ... read more