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A good women talk!

Myself, Bebe (Bob’s Bisaya teacher) and one more lady were talking a few weeks ago about getting together just to meet up for girl talk over lunch or coffee. We were set to meet up a week ago. But I had to bail out since I had a friend who came here from Manila. The day that me and the girls were getting together was the day that my friend from Manila had time to see me. My friend had business franchise and franchise seminars here in Davao City. I told my friend that I will definitely make time to see her while she’s here in Davao.  And the kids want to see her and her hubby too. It’s been awhile since the kids last saw them. The kids love them, so I had to bring the kids to see them. So Bebe and our friend understood that I had to cancel on them last week. Thank goodness for their understanding.

Feyma with her friend

Feyma with her friend

Finally yesterday we met up for the first time for our girls chat. It was really good seeing them and  just talking whatever is on our minds.  We decided to just met up at Swiss Deli, it’s just near our house, since the 3 of us live in this part of town. Big reason right now too to avoid the traffic going to the other side of town as you recall we have the bridge construction right now in Bankerohan. I hope the traffic will get better soon. :-) We also want to go and meet up at the other side of town. Maybe go for just window shopping. The 3 of us like different stuff. I like to shop and look for antiques, crafts and decorations. Bebe is into shopping for purses and fashion jewelries (affordable not fancy), our friend, she’s into fashion jewelries and gift items. I guess the 3 of us like to look at Ukay-Ukay too. We just get together to do some bonding moments.

Next bonding time might be in my house. Bebe was asking some easy recipes for her to make for dinner. She’s a busy mom, so she wants a quick and easy to prepare meals. I had a few ideas in mind but I had to show her how to make it. I’m going to be preparing some food too because this is the first time for that other friend to be at our house. Sorry guys I will not reveal the name of my other friend. I didn’t ask her if it’s okay for her to be named here. Maybe after our next get together I will ask her, if its okay for me to put her name here. I respect whatever she decides. Will see. We will invite Dr. Lourdes (our dentist) next time too. Hopefully she’s not so busy. She’s out of the country right now. Hopefully she’s back at that time.

Both Bebe and our friend are teachers. I had an idea how Bebe is in the classroom. I used to sit-in quite often when she was teaching Bob Bisaya before. She’s really good. I’m really applauding them because being a teacher you have to have patience. I think I’m a bit short of that trait sometimes. Talking to them really helped me a lot. I think I just have patience teaching somebody either my kids or my nieces in the kitchen. Even with our small kitchen still good for us to make something edible. LOL. Usually it turned out good.

Have a great day everyone!

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A personal note!

I’m writing and sharing about our personal life story of Bob and myself. It’s almost time for our 24th year wedding anniversary. I was just pondering what to write this week, and it hits me while getting something in Bob’s wallet. He wants me to check on something for him and I had to get his id (driver’s license). Something fell out of his wallet, it was behind his driver’s license. When I picked it up, I remembered that Bob had his reminder of our first meeting.

“It’s his boarding pass from his flight from Manila to Cebu” to meet me for the first time.

Bob's Boarding Pass from Manila to Cebu - July 26, 1990

Bob’s Boarding Pass from Manila to Cebu – July 26, 1990

Wow, as I was staring at the boarding pass, its just so worn out. It showed the time that it stayed in Bob’s wallet. It was there for 24 years already. No matter how many times Bob changed wallets over the course of our marriage that boarding pass remained in his wallet. Looking at it as if it’s just nothing but for Bob it’s really important to him. For me; It really showed how he loved and valued me. For the kids; They think it’s a sweet gesture of their dad to their mom. It will be in that wallet forever, I’m pretty sure of that.

I gave Bob a Tagalog-English dictionary upon meeting him for the first time. I was thinking at that time that he should learn the Tagalog instead of Bisaya since Tagalog is taught in school and spoken in the main island. He still has that dictionary and he lets the kids use it for school. They had to promise that they will take care of it. Really, Bob rarely opened that dictionary since my parents never spoken to him in Tagalog. At that time it’s hard to find a Bisaya- English dictionary or Bisaya-Tagalog-English dictionary unlike now that they’re all over bookstore and the internet. So thankful now that he did learn our local dialect. So proud of him for that.

At another wedding in 2006
On our wedding day - 1990

I was graduating in college when I met him. Bob gave me a Sony Walkman when we first met. One of our regular phone conversation I was talking to him about my project with my classmates, it’s sound systems with bunch of LED’s and with walkman. It was really hectic schedule for me being graduating and with my on job training and the touring of the radio stations. My teachers were just happy that I made it through being the only girl in class out of 200 students.

I took 2 weeks off from school when Bob came. I talked to all my teachers that I would be in GenSan for the entire time. I took exams later when I get back from Gensan. My classmates didn’t know that I am marrying Bob. They just thought I went home to be with my parents. But my teachers they knew though. Luckily they didn’t make a big fuss about it. LOL.

To you my Wonderful Husband : Honey, Wow 24th year of marriage. I’m so grateful for your love for me and our kids. So happy for the time we’ve shared. Thank you too for being so kind to my parents before they passed, you really showed you loved them. Thank you for the wonderful years. We’ve been through a lot but we managed to be strong and talked it through. I love you so much. I thank God for you!!!

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The people close to my heart in the States: Part 2

The people that I’m describing right now were really one of the families that Bob and I will never ever forget in our entire life. It all started when we moved to Ridgefield from Vancouver in Washington State. We used to live in a very nice subdivision in Vancouver. We were house sitting the house of my in-laws while my father-in-law transferred to Canada for his job. Before living in my in-law’s house we used to live near the downtown Vancouver area. Really just 5-7 minutes away from Sylvia’s house (She’s like my sister there). It was really convenient for me to be going to Sylvia’s for a visit. When we transferred to the other part of Vancouver, it was harder for me to see Sylvia more often. She’s kind of scared driving on the freeway by herself. But guess what I learned easily on driving around the area.  Being far from Sylvia I had to learned to drive the freeway quickly and liking it a lot. Going to her house through the back way takes way longer. Driving the freeway it’s much easier than going through the busy streets of Vancouver with so many traffic lights to go through. IMHO.

Nader - the Dad
Namer with his cousins
When they were kids
Zade and Namer

So we transferred to Ridgefield in 1993 just a few months after my father-in-law passed away. We had to find a house because Mom is moving back to Vancouver. So we found a house in Ridgefield. It was a nice acreage subdivision with only 8 houses inside the subdivision. Really it used to be farmland. Even the original farm house was still there. In every house it has 5 acres. So that’s what we had. Our house was one of the newly built house in the subdivision. When we moved in the next door house was about to be finished. When the owner moved in we don’t really know them. Both husband and wife usually were not home during the day. Seeing them sometime we just say hi whenever they pass in front of house . Just months after moving in, they sold the house. The owner moved away, the guy was transferred somewhere for his job.

Dalal (the Mom) and her boys
Dalal with boys in Jordan
Julia having a drink
Julia
Keith, Zade and Namer

After a few months of the house next door being empty, we saw some Middle Eastern people with their 4 kids going through the house. the kids were playing outside. We thought they’re just looking at the house. The next day they came back, so we went there and say hello and just being a friendly neighbor. They informed us then that they already bought the house and they will be moving in in a few days. They’re just waiting of the moving truck that’s carrying there stuff all the way from California.

I was so ecstatic having them around they’re so nice and loving people. The kids ages at that time, the youngest must be like 3 or 4 years old, the oldest I think like 8 or 9 years old. The husband he owns a few gasoline stations in Portland area, the wife she’s just a stay at home mom. She already finished up college just didn’t work because she concentrated on taking care of the kids. Both husband and wife were very generous people. The kids they’re loving and thoughtful kids too.

I will give the names of my ever so favorite neighbor.

  • Nader, the dad (very generous & thoughtful man)
  • Dalal, the mom (very kind and very generous)
  • Julia, the oldest child (the reader)
  • Zade, the second child (the serious one :-) )))
  • Keith, the third child (the studious one)
  • Namer, the youngest and the naughty one (his eyes gives it away… LOL)

We do a lot of fun stuff with them like going to the Oregon Coast for a day or two just hanging out at the beach and see the aquarium, eating at the restaurant after Sunday church. Go with the kids games in school or during summer games. Going to see some Disney on ice show in Portland. Going shopping at the mall or go to the play area like Discovery Zone or Chuck E. Cheese or the Clark County Fair and many others.

Chris and Aaron really adored those kids. They thought highly of those kids. They really want to hang out with them almost everyday. Ha ha ha, really we go there to there house every night during summer. They always invite us for BBQ. Dalal wants that we’ll be at their house, her statement would always be “Feyma it’s better that we’ll hang out here at our house, I had 4 kids and you had only 2 kids. Much easier for me here if they messed up something, easy to clean up”. But when I’m baby sitting the kids they’re at our house. Bob and I fed them Filipino dishes. They liked it, especially the lumpia. Sometimes me and Dalal would go out just the 2 of us for some girl time. Bob & Nader and one of our friend from church Randy go out together too, sometimes they went out of town for some conference. It was fun for everyone. It’s really a good bonding.

Seeing the kids on Facebook now really makes me happy. They’re all successful kids. I’m so proud for all of them. So thankful of the Facebook. I’ve been hooking up with all of them. So happy seeing all of them still so loving and so thoughtful.

To you our Best Neighbor Ever, I really missed you guys. Thank you so much for the friendship and the love. I do appreciate a lot what you guys did for me and Bob. I really treasure you guys forever. I love all of you!!!

Cheers!

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My grade school classmates: Where are they now?

I was toying with this topic since it’s the beginning of another school year here. Our kids are all geared up for the first day of school. I was trying to remember the days when I was in grade school. It’s way too different now than during my time. And something caught my eyes on the FB feed: Go figure. LOL

A few days ago a former neighbor of ours when I was young posted a picture on her profile. It intrigued me because it was an old photo. When I looked at it closely I saw that half of the people on the pictures were my classmates, some were my cousins. The other half I remembered them as the brother of my classmate and others just a plain neighbor of ours. It was really good to reminisce the past. If I remember correctly there’s just like 50 of us students graduated from our grade school in our small town. A few of us went to GenSan to continue on for high school, most of my classmates stayed in the public high school near our town in Sarangani Province. To be honest I really wanted to stay there too because all my BFF studied there. But my parents had some other school in mind. Since my other siblings already studied in Notre Dame in Lagao for Girls in GenSan, I was sent there too. At first I really resented it co’z I don’t know anyone in that new school. But I made friends quickly and not regretted being sent there. Thank God. :-)

Feymas Family and Friends

Feymas Family and Friends from her school days

A few of my classmates in grade school were my cousins. Really, since it was a small town, I’ve known the family of almost all my classmates. One of my classmate, he is a successful teacher and became principal in that school we graduated from. Later he became head (supervisor to a few school) near our town in Sarangani Province. He was the one asked me to be a guest speaker during one of the grade school graduation. He asked me to encourage the students since I just arrived from America at that time. I did talk to the students and encouraged them to work hard and to let them know that even being a product of  the small town school if a person strives hard, they can become somebody someday. He just wanted me to encourage his students that working hard really pays off. As you know a lot of the students in the small town, they get married at the young age.

Most of my classmates I heard became OFW (overseas Filipino worker). Some in the Middle East, Hong Kong, Singapore and many other places. Some are in Manila right now too. It was really shocking to hear from them sometimes. I enjoyed connecting with them. Some of them they’re shocked that I am corresponding with them. They’re thinking I won’t talk to them. My God there’s no reason for me not to communicate with them. No need to be an airhead. I guess they’ve seen enough ladies who are married to foreigners and the ladies they think they are better than anybody. That’s far from who I am anyway.

I think a few of them were also pastors. A lot of them became teachers. I’m really proud of them for that. I know for sure that, that’s not my calling. I’m not really a good teacher. LOL. Some of my classmates after our grade school graduation didn’t go to school because the parents just couldn’t afford for them to continue on to high school. So because of that they got married early. So the cycle begins again, they had baby at the young age and the baby had baby. It goes on and on. But we can’t change the world. We just had to try I guess.

To my classmates: Thank you for the friendship and so nice seeing you on the web.

Have a great day everyone!

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The people close to my heart in the States: Part 1!

I was just looking at my FB feeds when I came across the headline in-front of me that read:

“So many things to look forward to this month! With all the birthdays, my bachelorette party in Vegas, getting married and honeymoon in greece, I can’t contain my excitement!”

I had to read it again and double check. My goodness the kid that used to be toddler when I first arrived in the States, that person that wrote the message on top, she turned 2 at that time. My gosh now she’s getting married. Her name is Shaina. A beautiful girl. I asked Bob right away if he saw the news feed of Shaina that she’s getting married? He told me no. I immediately told Bob that we are getting old already. I said look at Shaina, she’s one of the kids that we knew there and when we left she’s just a tween, now she’s getting married. Big sigh, its depressing, it just shows we are already over the hill now. :-)  LOL

Close to my heart

Close to my heart

When I met the mom of Shaina I was just on my few months living in the States. Bob knew her dad Steve, but didn’t know that he was married to a Filipina. When I went to work with Bob and helped out, that’s how I met Steve. He asked me if I’m a Filipina or a Chinese? Ha ha ha, he can’t figure it out. I told him I’m a Filipina, and told him that Bob is my husband. He was shocked. He told Bob that “Oh, I didn’t know that your wife is  from the Philippines. My wife Sylvia is from the Philippines too”. He then told us to come to there house that weekend, which we did. I was so happy seeing and knowing Sylvia. Sylvia’s husband Steve, he is an engineer, and a retired worker from Boeing. Sylvia was really like a big sister to me there. She’s the one person I can really be proud to have known in the US. I’ve never had any issues with her. Sylvia and I used to get together fairly often twice or more a month. More often during summer time with family. We had a few parties with our Fil-Am friends during summer and Christmas party during winter time. Few places for venues; either our house or at Sylvia’s or at one of our dear friend Connie from Oregon.

Shaina has a little brother name Patrick. He’s just a few months older than Chris. That’s one reason that Sylvia and I met up almost every week for the kids to have playtime together. Shaina was really a good big sister to Patrick and to Chris too. Very talkative, playful and funny. She’s also close to my mother-in-law. She’s just like a grand daughter to Mom. Sylvia and family including Shaina are still close to my mother-in-law. They visit mom when they have time.

I also met Sylvia’s sister Bebe when she first came to the States. Bebe was engaged to a guy from Oregon. Mom was the god-mother during her wedding. We all became close and more when Bebe became a mother of 2 kids. So we all get together at Sylvia’s house almost during weekends so that the kids will bond and play together. I saw them (Sylvia and Bebe and Bebe’s kids) when they came here to the Philippines for a visit. They’re from Cebu, so I flew there to see them. It was really nice bonding with them again. I really told Aaron to see Sylvia & Steve when he goes to the States.

To Sylvia and family, I really miss you guys. I will never forget you Sylvia no matter what. To Shaina & Michael (husband t0 be of Shaina): Congratulations to the 2 of you.  Wishing you both the happiness in the world. I’m so happy for you Shane. Have fun on your honeymoon in Greece. I hope to see you all again someday.

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