Travel

March 19, 2015 by feyma

Happiness & sadness!

When you’re reading this post my son Aaron is on his way traveling to the USA. He started his journey last night (Wednesday). He left Davao at 10:15 pm, and arrived in Manila at a little after midnight. He will be in Manila for a few hours, then he will be starting his journey to the USA today Thursday (today) here in the Philippines. He will be arriving in Portland, Oregon (Thursday there in that part of the world) almost 24 hours after he left Manila .

This trip, it all started almost 2 years ago. My mother-in-law got seriously ill. Aaron at that time was just a few months shy of his high school graduation. Part of his high school graduation gift, Bob and I decided on sending him to the USA to see his grandma and bond with her. When we talked to Aaron about our plan, we got a big “NO” from him. So Bob and I didn’t push him, we just dropped the subject, sort of mentioning once in awile. 6 months after, Aaron decided that he was ready. He told us that he wanted to visit his granny by June. He was just few months shy of his 17th birthday. So we gathered lots of his papers for the travel plan. We found out that there was so much stuff to do for him since he will be traveling alone and underage. When we went to some Philippine government agency for some paper work, Aaron got frustrated. As usual everything was so slow. Just to get something you will be standing in line for literary hours at a time.

The many faces of Aaron Martin

He told us then that he wants to wait to travel after his 18th birthday. Less hassles. So after his 18th birthday, we then started gathering his papers. We went to Manila for his passport renewal from the US embassy. Apply some local paper work. Finally it was finished a few weeks ago. So we started looking for cheap tickets. We also thought that he will be traveling around the month of April or May. The tickets for April and May were much more expensive. When we tried to get good tickets, this week is really the best price ticket to travel already. Bob saw a cheap ticket a week or so ago. We thought that it will still be okay to wait. When we tried to book, it’s already full. Luckily we got another cheaper ticket. We got him a round trip ticket. He will be there for a little over 7 months. If he wants to extend he will try to re-book the ticket again for later return, which will incur a fee of course. I’m sure we will pay some for that.

He is really excited to go and see his Granny. It’s been a few years since he last saw her. They already made plans on what to do there. They will be seeing Bob’s extended family there from different States. This will be a good memory maker for both of them to last Aaron a lifetime. We know he will be okay there. This is Aaron’s first time ever being away from us for a long time. It will be hard for all of us here at the house and him too. But it will be good for him to experience and start a new life away from us. I’m not worried about it because he is in good hands with his Granny being there for him. Thank you Mother for taking Aaron and loving him. Bob and I really appreciate that very much.

To you my dear Aaron: Enjoy your stay with your Granny. Have fun exploring the land that you were born and grow up with until the time we left. Enjoy bonding with your cousins and family there. Don’t forget to see the people that we used to hangout with there before. We love you so much son. It’s going to be hard on all of us but we are so happy for you at the same time. Tears are flowing already from me hon while writing this post. I love you forever and beyond.

Message from Dad: Aaron, have a wonderful trip! This will be a big learning experience for you. The learning will start right away as you embark on your first time traveling alone, and it will continue as you get reintroduced to the land of your birth. I am sad to see you leaving, but I am also happy that you will go back to the USA and experience life there. I am happy that you can have some time to re-connect with my culture and with my side of the family. You are a good kid, and I love you dearly, son! Bon voyage!

March 12, 2015 by feyma

A big reminder to any traveler!

It’s been a big news here right now about a lady (Mary Jane) from here in the Philippines was on death row in Indonesia for drug trafficking a 2.6 kilo grams of heroin. Supposed to be she was just asked by a friend to carry that stuff for her. She must trusted that friend so much to carry that stuff for her. She’s paying the big price now (and her family too) for not asking the friend of what’s inside the package and for not opening the package in-front of the friend.

The family especially her kids begged the president here in the Philippines to help. I think right now the Indonesian government hold off the execution by firing squad because of the appeal of the Philippine government. The Philippine government hopes that the Indonesian government will sentence her to life imprisonment. Her 2 kids even traveled to Indonesia to visit her. I guess she was in jail already from early 2010.

Mary Jane in Court

Honestly, I’ve seen reality shows on TV about “Locked Up Abroad”. Really its similar to Mary Jane’s situation. Most of them, they were locked up for life, some were sentence to death. Others were also let go and sent home to the country they’re from. But it’s really seldom that will let go in jail just a few years, most of them were in jail for 10 or more years before they get freed.

I’m just hoping for the best for Mary Jane. If she’s innocent I hope she will get justice she mostly deserved. For the sake of her family especially her kids. But if she’s guilty, well, she should also be locked up I guess like those others. I know it’s hard, but she has to pay the consequences of her actions. I’m sure the person that sent that package probably washed her hands already and let Mary Jane be the fall guy. That would be hard on her, her freedom was taken in just a blink of an eye. I’m not sure if she’s being naive or just being stupid or being force to do it. Do you know of someone having similar situation with Mary Jane. Please feel free to share your thoughts.

I can really see Bob’s point before whenever we went home here for a visit here in the Philippines. If a friend would ask us to bring something for their family here. Bob would always tell me to get my friend’s stuff and we will be the one to pack in our suitcase. That we would not accept any sealed package that we don’t know what’s inside. Luckily my friends shared the same thoughts.

Now that Aaron is getting ready to go to the States soon. We are also telling him not to bring or even touch any package from anyone he will be meeting at the airport. We even told him to not be watching someone’s backpack or luggage at the airport (I guess just use common sense). He told us that he will be traveling light. He just wants a small backpack safely for his documents and a pair of clothes, extra shirt or two, maybe to change during the flight. He already talked to his Granny to prepare for a clothes shopping when he gets there. He told her that he is not bringing lots of stuff. He just doesn’t want to be hanging around too long time at the luggage claim area.

Good luck to everyone that’s traveling. Stay safe!

February 19, 2015 by feyma

Coming home for a visit!

I was talking to a friend tonight. She called me up since we haven’t seen each other for quite awhile. Both of us were just so busy lately. Also since my cell phone I lost all of my contact numbers.. I thank God for FB and email, I am still in contact with some people even though I don’t have their number.

Anyway, she was telling me that whenever her daughter and son-in-law visit the Philippine again, she wants us to get together. Her daughter lives now in the US. She married a law enforcement officer from the mid-west in the USA if I remember. I sometimes corresponds with her daughter especially if her mom comes over to visit us.

Back home, with a Balikbayan Box

My friend mentioned that her daughter will not be bringing that many gifts (fondly called pasalubong here). The daughter is a bit worried because she has so many friends to see but not much time to see them. My friend told her daughter that, she would rather have her and son-in-law here than the pasalubong. The daughter will not be staying long here since the husband just allowed short vacation (less than 2 weeks). The daughter said that they will not be going places, she just wants to hang out at their house and be with her mom and dad and her siblings. I told my friend that I understand those sentiments.

I’m telling my friend that when I used to visit here with Bob and kids, I usually just stay with my Papa & Mama at the house. My dad was so sickly. The whole 3 weeks that we took our vacation here, during daytime me and Chris stayed at the house. Bob and my siblings would go to town to buy stuff needed and our groceries. We paid big money for our fare not to hang out with other people but with my parents. To be honest, I was happy that we let Chris stay a lot at my parents house. It really made my dad happy. Few months after my dad saw Chris, my dad passed away. Next visit same thing me and the kids stayed with my mom, hang out with her. Even sometimes Bob went to see friends we stayed behind.

Anyway, my friend’s daughter is kind of worried that her friends might get upset/hurt that they will not be getting any pasalubong. They’re trying to save some money for something too that’s important to them. I told my friend to tell her daughter that “if she really has true friends with gifts or without they should be happy seeing her and the husband”. My friend said too that she’s telling her daughter that they will just buy little things from here to give. My friend didn’t really care that lots of people here likes the product that come from abroad. I said if it’s given, be happy with it.

I also told my friend if your daughter really is worried, another options for her daughter to do would be slowly buy stuff now and send balikbayan boxes almost the time they come here and just store at her parents house and they will open it when they arrive. The daughter will be coming for a visit before Thanksgiving in the States this year. So they still have time to send balikbayan boxes then.

Really Bob, our kids and I will be happy seeing the daughter of our friend and her son-in-law. I saw her daughter when we were just new here from the States. Really that was over 10 years ago already.

August 21, 2014 by feyma

A simple and important reminder!

I am writing here just a bit of a reminder to the anyone (foreigners or Filipinos that live abroad for a long time) that wanted to retire here in the Philippines. When we moved back here Bob and I had already been coming here many times for a visit. Bob’s been to some 5 star hotels and to lower end hotels here in Manila, Cebu, Davao, and GenSan. And, of course to my family’s house. Bugs and cockroach and mice were pretty much present in all of these places here in the Philippines. So seeing those critters was not really new to him. Bob doesn’t like it but we can’t just let those bugs spoil our vacation here. All those bugs are pretty common to majority of the households here in the Philippines. So don’t be surprised upon seeing one. I will tell you guys some of our experiences from before and after moving here:

One time when were visiting here with Chris and Aaron. Between the two boys, Aaron was the one having a hard time seeing flies around my mom’s house. We came here during fruit season. So many flies flying then. He’s always carrying bug spray with him around the house. Just for a few days he was ready to head home to the States.

Butiki – A Philippine House Lizard

Then there was one time when Bob’s mom came here for the first time to visit. She stayed with us. She’s staying in one of the bedrooms at our house. After she said goodnight to us and she went to bed just like minutes after she was screaming at the top of her lungs. My gosh, all of us were jumping out of bed and running towards her room. She pointed to the culprit – my gosh a 2 inch lizard on the ceiling. It was funny for us but really looking at mom it really terrified her. So Bob just explained to her that here in the tropics expect those kind of things. She understands but no more sleeping in the dark, she has to have a night light during night time to know whats creeping in during her sleep. LOL

One of our vacation here that was in 1994, our visit for my dad’s first death anniversary. Bob and I promised my mom that we would be here in the Philippines for that since I was unable to come home for his funeral. When we came for a visit, our last lay over was in Cebu. And in Cebu, Bob and I usually stayed in Montebello Villa Hotel. We arrived so late in the night and our flight the next morning was really early. So the taxi driver was recommending these hotels in Mactan area. Bob told him that we really want Montebello because it’s nice and we’re used to that hotel already. The taxi driver said oh the hotel here in Mactan it’s nice too, the only difference with Montebello, they don’t have a swimming pool. We then agreed with him and headed to the hotel that the taxi driver recommended. Let me tell you, its not the same and can’t even compare. But we’re so exhausted and so tired to get out. Plus, Chris was sick already, he had fever ever since our flight from Hawaii. So Bob ordered room service, as soon as the food was brought inside our room after the waiter left, we could hear some noises on our roof. Bob and I just stare at each other and observed. Boy, as the food stayed in the room longer the more the noises were getting louder. My God as if the rats were having fiesta on our ceiling. You know what none of us touched the food. We just put the food outside our door and just went to bed. The rats went quiet after the food was gone from our room. We’re too tired to think about it. We had to sleep or we might miss our flight the next morning.

Just try to visit the public market here. You will see rats as big as the cat running around. I’m sure lots of cockroaches crawling around and flies buzzing around too. That’s just the way it is here in the tropics. I wished to God it was changed a lifetime ago, but it’s not. But this is the tropics we have to deal with it. You know what I mean? Think a thousand times before moving to the place that you’re not familiar with. So that you will not be sorry later.

***Hey don’t take me wrong we also have areas that’s clean too. If you’re a clean freak try shopping your food at the high end malls. Always have pest control services in your house and let them check every corner of your house.***

—- “Don’t be scared, exterminate them”—–

November 7, 2013 by feyma

Excitement, sadness & happiness rolled into one!!!

As everyone of you know already here that Aaron is going to the States next year. In God’s grace and glory. My gosh, I am so excited for him that he already has the confidence to travel there. But at the same time my heart is aching a little bit each day. To tell you the truth I am sad too. My kids never been away from us for a long time. So this is really the first time for one of our kids to be away for this long. Can you imagine the day when we will be sending him off? So many of us here in the house will be so sad and excited at the same time.

When we first planned his trip we already shed tears there, especially me. Sigh… But I am really so happy that he take the leap to go there by himself. Aaron is our quiet kid. He will talk or make a conversation rather to people that he knows well and hangs out more often. That’s just his personality. He really took it from my dad and Bob’s dad. He is a deep thinker and observant. So of course as a mom I am a bit worried for him not asking people for help. I am starting to remind him that he needs to ask help from other people through out his journey. I continue on saying that many of those people will be happy to help him.

Aaron and I during his graduation

I did told him my journey to the States by myself at the age of 21. Naive and shy. I’m kind of like him in a way so quiet. But I never hesitate to ask a lot of people along the way. At that time internet didn’t exist yet, so I can’t share to the world my whereabouts. . Phone call during my time was a bit difficult too, have to call collect to Bob if I want to get a hold of him. Luckily I didn’t call him on that journey. So I have to really talk or I get lost.

This will be a new beginning for him. He will have to see the other side of the world. Being born there in the States and he has to start re-learning everything about the place. And seeing relatives again in a long time and some of them for the first time. I am telling him already to see my best friends there, one of them who I’ve met early on my time there. She’s a Filipina from Cebu, married to a guy who works in Boeing. They had 2 kids. My other best friend our next door neighbor, and practically we were like sister’s, she’s from Jordan. She had 4 kids who I love very much. Happy to reconnect with her 3 boys on Facebook. She’s not a facebook fanatic. She’s close to Aaron before because she was there when I had Aaron. She calls Aaron her Habibi (My love, my babe) in Arabic. Aaron learned Arabic from them before. Hopefully Aaron can visit them in Northern Oregon.

Let me tell you after my mother-in-law found out of Aaron going there, she told me that she can’t hardly wait for him to be there. She’s even telling me that she doesn’t know how to contain her excitement. Just minutes after telling her my God, she’s calling her friends right away, practically every person on her personal phone book list. Ha ha ha. They were really so happy for her. They know how much she misses the kids. Not so much for Bob and I. Ha ha ha… .

My best friend here in the Philippines called me when she read the post of Aaron. I did not mentioned to her about it because I want to wait until Aaron will say something. So she found out on his post. She then called me and asked me how do I feel about it? I told her that I am happy, excited and sad, but in a good way. Happy that Aaron will decide hopefully then on what he wants in the future. Excited for him traveling and experiencing new beginning. Sad because he will be away from us for a while for the first time. But I thank God that He gave Aaron the courage to do what he plans to do. So thankful for internet nowadays, so easy to communicate with him and know what’s going on with him there.

Thank you guys for the moral support for our son. I really appreciate the nice message you’ve sent to Aaron on his post. God bless LiP Family!!!