A Humbling Christmas Experience...away from home

I always make sure that I am home for Christmas but it was not possible this year since I am only 3-month old in my work and besides taking advance vacation leave, I wanted to have it for a longer period of time in mid-2014 back in the Philippines. Determined to make the most of being away from home I decided to spend it in a remote village without electricity, out of mobile network and no internet connectivity. Nonetheless, it was a very humbling experience.

Midnight Mass

Christmas Day Mass

No fancy clothes, no expensive gifts, no festive meals but it showed the real meaning of the baby Jesus who was born in a manger. While attending mass, I couldn't help my mind from wandering off and, comparing and contrasting Christmas here and in the Philippines. I remember when I was a child; I would always feel bad if I don’t have a new dress on Christmas day. I feel sorry for myself if I don’t receive a gift, and I feel bad if we don’t have jamon or quezo de bola on Noche Buena. Christmas was more exciting not because of Jesus Christ’s birthday but because of everything ‘new’ during this season. These sentiments are not only mine but also of countless Filipino children. I outgrew all these things as time passed by, but I knew that a significant percentage of the Filipino children and even from other countries have the same expectations.  In this village, children and adults came barefooted, clothes without distinction if these are for everyday use or for special occasion. Nonetheless, they all came to pray and worship the reason for this celebration. In my own perception, they might be deprived of so many things but there are no traces of these on their faces. It’s difficult to fathom what’s in their hearts and minds but what I witnessed touched me in a very special way. Indeed we should always feel blessed and be thankful of what we have.

Gift-giving

Gift-giving

This year, I was not able to do my Share of Thanksgiving back home which was the annual party I throw for my family but I am glad to have done it for these children. I didn't pack much but the happiness from the children as they received the small gift, the pride in wearing the name tags from the Child Rights workshop until the Christmas Eve and Day masses and the smile as they took pictures with me was more than enough to show how the small gesture made them feel special. Surely, I'll never forget this experience!

Picture-taking with some of the kids

Traditional dishes- the share from the community...

Extending "World Peace" Beyond My Organization

Rather than entertain homesickness and the longing to be with my family this Christmas holidays, I decided to spend it in a village in PNG. Kubuna, which is part of Kairuku District in Central Province is a 2 ½ hour-drive from Port Moresby. The Parish of Mary Mother of the Church is located in this place where my friend is assigned as a priest.  We conceived this idea of doing something for the children in the village during my off from work.  Violation of Child Rights is a common issue in PNG. Given its complexities in this country, we decided to have an orientation just to raise the consciousness of children about their rights without aiming for something big.  

The participants 

Children between 8-12 years old were mobilized in the community to participate in the workshop. Coloring of photos illustrating Child Rights was used as a methodology. It was derived from a workbook of UNICEF which I found online. The activity may not be appropriate for their age but given the context, it’s the simplest and easily comprehensible method. Basic rights from the long list of articles in the Convention on Rights of the Child (CRC) were reduced to eight as the most relevant. The fifty-three children were divided into nine small groups and given a set of rights which they have to color and interpret. Each group took turns in the plenary presentation describing the picture. There was also a raffle of gifts during the interval of each presentation. The children pasted their drawing on the wall after each presentation and they were also requested to chant the rights repeatedly for memory retention. At the end of the activity, each child was asked to select their favorite right and wrote them in a colored paper that was folded into a boat, initially planned to be floated in the river but due to time constraint, they were told to keep them instead.  

Children busy coloring the pictures

The raffle draw in between discussion...

My favorite right is...

You should write your favorite right in colored paper and make a boat out of it...

The seriousness of the issue was confirmed when a mother stopped by the venue and interfered into one group that was busy with their work. Whatever the children heard from the mother had offended and caused them to be wary that they decided to move away from their corner of the room. This caught the attention of the head teacher, my co-facilitator who talked to the mother and requested her to leave. Instead of leaving, this woman accused the group of children for negatively interpreting her comments, and started lambasting and beating her child on his back using the dull edge of the bush knife, to my dismay! That was the point where I felt so helpless for fear that she’d turn her attention towards me, so I let the teacher handle the situation.   Shocked, I had to continue the discussion but before I proceeded as planned, I had to process what I have seen and what the children had witnessed! I asked, who among them experiences physical beating or corporal punishment, all of them raised their hands, some even mentioned parents using the sharp edge of bush knife to beat them. Parents hit them physically using any thing within their reach unmindful if it's dangerous or not. What a relevant way of synthesizing the workshop. It struck me though, how the children reacted. There was no fear, nor embarrassment on their faces. They remained focused with their task. Probably, what they have witnessed was not unusual for them. Something to ponder upon!

Checking their group work

This is what I meant with the ‘complexity’. Despite what happened, I didn't feel discouraged.  Culture is one of the biggest factors in this country but knowing the right approach, there can be an improvement. It may take long. Change does not happen overnight. Development is a process. 

At the end of the day, the teacher expressed her appreciation to me and said “I learned a lot today, I didn't know that beating a child and using corporal punishment is a violation of child rights. Starting next school year, I won’t do it any more to my students and even to my own children”. I may not have achieved much but surely it made a difference. It may take long, but there is a tiny flicker of hope!

Embracing Life and Living in Papua New Guinea

It is weekend and I managed to stay at home by keeping myself busy with household chores. I’ve got a two-bedroom house which is easy to clean but I take my time completing a task so there is always something left to keep me occupied. Mobility is restricted. I cannot go out alone, more so take a public transport, even a taxi. In short, I am dependent on others with a car to pick me up and take me around, even just running to a grocery. Last week, boredom has eaten me and homesickness attacked my state of vulnerability because I did not keep food for munching. I had to ask myself, what am I doing here? Did I make the right decision?

What I got in my fridge are for cooking meals and bottles of juice. I’ve learned that though not fond of eating junk food, it is always handy to keep a supply just in case I crave for it. I took driving lessons before I left the Philippines thinking that I would be using an office car but we only have few with only one small car while the rest are four-wheel drive and big. I am thinking of buying my own but it needs careful consideration because it’s expensive and I might be mobile but still, I have to be careful in driving by myself. I am not comfortable being dependent on others but I am glad the few friends I have found in the short period that I am here are very kind and always ready to give me a lift when needed. But I know that this cannot be like this for two years. You also have to keep a stock of flexi-card (phone credit) for your mobile because there are no shops nearby that sell phone cards. I wanted to get a line but it’s not as easy like in many other countries I have worked in. Post-paid are only allowed for company sim cards and I still have to find out how this works. I might explore the possibility of a company subscription because it’s a big hassle when you ran out of credit and communication to the outside world is one of the things keeping your sanity; likewise, with internet connection. I haven’t had my TFC (The Filipino Channel) connected because the TV which I personally purchased took 2 weeks to be delivered. It was good that I was warned that everything here takes forever.

Everything is available in PNG, from basic infrastructures to facilities, groceries in shopping malls, restaurants offering different types of food, etc. All the basic needs to live a comfortable life are available but everything is ridiculously expensive! You just have to stop converting otherwise, you’ll end up buying nothing or you’ll starve. The roads in the city are wide and nice but I am not able to enjoy it because of security risks. You won’t see any foreigner walking or jogging by the roadside. 

  

It’s not as bad as it sound but you just have to embrace the life of restricted mobility. You’ll get used to it; eventually you’ll get the hang of it. I just completed my six weeks and it’s a long way to completing my  two years but I am sure I’ll manage it. There will be ups and downs, highs and lows, moments of homesickness, sporadic tears for no reason at all but you just have to entertain them as these would help you cope up with the situation. It will never be easy but in the end, it’s a matter of getting used to it and loving what life has to offer in PNG. 

First 30 Days in the Land of Unexpected: 4

You just have to get used to it and this, I guess is happening to me now! Saturday was spent in my room at the hotel. No regrets though because I managed to finish reading all pages of the Lamana Hotel magazine featuring information, attractions, sights, tours, maps, dining out and entertainment in PNG. It provided me basic information about “The Land of Unexpected” which a newcomer like me has to know.

The magazine helped me:  

…to know the spoken languages (english, pidgin English-tok pisin and Hiri Motu) 

…to know their religion which is predominantly Christianity practiced in harmony with local beliefs and traditions...the latter though has so much influence on their practices

…to know the seasons: dry season – May to October; wet season – December to March --- this I have to experience yet but indeed this month is a dry season, it's prickly heat!  

…to know useful phrases but practicing them would still be a challenge such as "how are you?"..."yu orait"..."sorry" is also "sori" only spelled differently

…to know local attractions which I plan to see one-by-one, and make sure that I do so within my two-year stay here. There are nice places to see and explore but given the condition in this country, I hope I can manage to visit some of the sights in the districts

…to know where to buy souvenir items which is useful before my R&R or home leaves or even in decorating the place I would find to be my home for 2 years

…to know restaurants which I also plan to cover all by hopping from one to another with the precondition that there is a car to take me there or someone who has a car to accompany me

…somehow get an idea of the city through the map and the entire country in terms of geographical/political division though I still have to navigate myself in the city

…getting around which I doubt is useful since I am not allowed to move around in public transport. Safe taxi companies are recommended but still i have to be cautious

Indeed it's the land of unexpected, though I still have to know why and where it got this tagline. 

First 30 Days in the Land of Unexpected: 3

Life away from home is difficult without internet access. There is one at the hotel business center but you can only use it for 30 minutes then the guy at the concierge would ask you to come back later. Nights are also not complete without it and without posting a picture or a status about my adventure in the ‘land of unexpected’.

I queued at Digicel to buy a wireless modem and also to find out why I cannot top-up or check my balance using my blackberry handset. I queued in 3 lines for different purposes, unfortunately, I left without a modem and my issue on the phone unresolved. They ran out of stock of the modem and my blackberry needs to be reset which I am hesitating of doing. I might end up buying a cheap unit where I can use to top up and set my monthly subscription to the internet. 

An old friend came to the rescue in the evening who took me to another Digicel office and I found the wireless modem for free! Not free from Digicel but free from my friend who gave it to me as a welcome present! Now, I am happy because I am connected to the world. The same person took me to a Chinese restaurant and I had proper dinner tonight!

At lunchtime, Fr. Gerald took me to “ChaoMasters”, a Filipino restaurant. It was a buffet restaurant which costs $30 each. It’s a complete set of menu from appetizer to dessert. There’s always a place to run to, if you miss a Filipino dish! Apologies for putting costs in everything here, I am just finding it really expensive! In the long run, I am sure I’d end up not doing this. We found Filipinos there, of course! A group of ‘pinoys’ in one table lively reminisced their childhood games comparing with the new generation type of games but before that they were seriously discussing the PDAF scam. Along the course of the conversation, I learned that the owner of the restaurant has been in PNG for 28 years and other pinoys are counting 20++ years here! One of them shared that his family was excited to be going to the Philippines but after two weeks of holiday in our ‘bayang magiliw’ they already wanted to come back to PNG. A pinoy pride maybe, one of them mentioned that Filipinos in PNG are highly regarded and all of them occupy managerial positions. I did not bother telling them what my position is, because having grown in a working environment where designation is not a big deal, it doesn't matter to me!

First 30 Days in the Land of Unexpected: 2

I completed my day getting myself oriented at the office and memorizing the names of my colleagues. A meeting was held to give me an overview of our projects. I’ll be overseeing 19 projects! These are small projects but when reporting period comes, it’s going to be a nightmare.

On my 2^nd day, I made another trip to the grocery. I found what I was looking for, a coffee plunger to use for my rice coffee brought all the way from Bicol. The coffee plunger was worth 49 Kina which is approximately USD23! This country is ridiculously expensive. I also looked for a mug and a nice once costs 14 Kina and to make conversion easier, it is roughly US$1:2K, so I settled for a plain colored old rose though I hate the color but just because it was the cheapest, I opted for it. A spoon costs US$2!   

First 30 Days in the Land of Unexpected: 1

Upon reaching Lamana Hotel, I unpacked which was really ‘me’. I feel restless on travel if I don’t unpack immediately. After organizing my stuff since this will be my home for 3 weeks, I lied down and didn’t notice that I fall asleep and even missed the call of my boss. Upon waking up, I took a quick shower and decided to have lunch at the hotel restaurant. There I found 3 Filipino staff. We are everywhere!!! I did not convert the price of my lunch otherwise I wouldn’t be able to eat. This place is more expensive than Dili!

I had my local sim card loaded but I failed due to network error. I contacted Fr. Gerald through a land line and mentioned to him my issue with loading credit on my phone. He kindly volunteered to send me credit ‘pasaload’ and we agreed that he would pick me up at 2:30PM so he could take me around. We went to Vision City, the biggest mall to check the shops. I was happy to see all my toiletries available. There was also calamansi! According to Fr. Gerald, the Filipinos introduced it here. Most of the goods are expensive but the secret like any other countries is to refrain from converting; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to spend. We went for a coffee at Figaro which I heard to be a franchise of a Filipino here. Since it was their 38^th Independence Day celebration, I still found a few locals in their traditional dress and even got the chance to have a picture with a couple of them in Figaro. There were quite a number of locals moving around the mall but you’ll never miss a Filipino because you would bump into them as we were moving around.

A common sight on the grounds outside the mall is red stains which were spit on the ground of beetle nut. Chewing is a common tradition in PNG. Looking around, the landscape was nice with hills surrounding the city yet it’s very warm. However, the hills are slowly being bulldozed to pave way to infrastructure development. There is a lot of on-going construction work. PNG is one country which is blessed with so much and diverse natural resources. Natural gas and mining are two major industries here.

Fr. Gerald dropped me again at the hotel and after a few minutes, my boss came to see me to welcome me and we had informal meeting. He warned me that lamina hotel gets busy over the weekend because it’s a popular spot of expats for night life including a live band and a disco house.  

So far, my first impression of the city was good by looking at it physically. Things are yet to unfold as I start to learn PNG in-depth. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here if there are no social issues confronting the marginalized sector of this country. Grateful and thankful to Fr. Gerald Gutierrez for his kindness on my 1st day!

Little Act of Kindness during Check-in and Touch Down

This first day includes bits of stories from departure in the Philippines. I left Manila with a heavy downpour of rains which would have been very challenging without the kindness of a friend who facilitated his driver to take me to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 1. As always, terminal 1 was full of people yet it still surprised me to see a long queue of Filipinos at the check-in counter of Air Niugini, the national carrier of Papua New Guinea.

I started chatting to some of them asking the basic questions of how long they have been in PNG and in a polite way, where they are working. The average number of years they have lived in PNG was 5 and most of them are connected in the gas industry. The man in front of me weighed his luggage since the weighing scale was close by the queuing area which makes it convenient for passengers to check their baggage before reaching the check-in counter. His suitcase weighed 26 kilograms which was 3 kg more than the 23 allocation. He deiced to remove something which surprised me upon seeing him took out a 2-kg ariel and another 2-kg surf powder detergent. I couldn't stop myself from asking why he has to bring such item to PNG which he politely replied with ‘meron naman kaso ang mahal kasi doon’ (it’s available but very expensive there). As expected, I also had 12 kg excess baggage which I managed to reduce into 4 kg.

I got through the immigration without any question why I don’t have OEC (Overseas Employment Certificate) which I was really thankful about though prior to the immigration queue, the lady at the travel tax counter tried to ask me a few questions why I don’t have OEC. But like my other trips, I was ready with my ‘world peace’ answer.

I requested for a window seat without thinking that we’ll be landing at Jackson International Airport at dawn. Hence, being on a window seat defeated its purpose. I was also seated to a Filipino who remained quiet all throughout the trip and I decided to be the same. In-charge of the cockpit were foreigners while the cabin crews were all Papuans. The service was good and the plane was big. It has been a while since I was on a huge airbus and a proper meal on board because I have been using budget airlines when I was in Timor-Leste. The food was not unusual but I was impressed by the service. 

Upon arrival, I was impressed by the airport. Well, my benchmark was other developing countries I worked in. Again, while on queue, I chatted again to some of them and found similar responses in terms of the number of years they have been in PNG and the nature of their work. After the immigration counter, there was another queue at the customs clearance counter. A Filipino helped me lift my suitcase from the conveyor. Again, I got the chance to talk to other Filipinos. There was one who, after exchanging pleasantries and question and answer of the usual stuff, he gave me his business card. He asked me not to forget to call him so that he can take me around Port Moresby. All these little act of kindness are signs of a good start! 

A Letter from ate Daisy

Who is ate Daisy? She is described in Filipino lingo as 'walang masamang tinapay' a counterpart of 'miss congeniality' so to speak because she is a friend of everybody! She played a great role in my life while I was in Dili, Timor-Leste. She was my shoulder to cry on, she was my sounding board, she was my counselor, she was my critique...she would feed me, cook the food I craved for...she was there during the highs and lows, ups and downs of my life and living in Timor-Leste...she was always the first one to appreciate my little achievements, professionally and personally....I can go on and on to describe her...but to sum it up, she was an older sister whom I didn't have. 

with ate Daisy in Maubisse

On the eve of my flight back to Manila (Philippines), she handed me this letter which I couldn't read myself because I was too emotional. It was read instead by another friend. After reading the letter, I asked ate Daisy's permission to publish it in my blog.  

Mahal kong Aydel, 

Mahirap mapalayo sa isang KAIBIGAN...madalas natin sinasabi na "ayos lang" o "okay lang" dahil naging masaya naman sa panahon na magkasama tayo. Halos ayaw nga matulog ang gabi dahil halos ayaw ng magkahiwa-hiwalay (magkikita naman agad kinabukasan) at di pa doon nagtatapos ang kulitan, usapan at kwentuhan. Aba, eh may sms na may tawag pa bago matulog. At sa pagbangon sa umaga ganoon pa din...sms ulit, tawag ulit (kulang na lang magtabi sa pagtulog...) hay, buhay!!! 

Kahit minsan hindi pumasok sa ating mga isipan o usapan ang paghihiwalayan, ang pagkalayo at ang pag-alis...ngunit dumating na ang katotohanang PAGHIHIWALAYAN. 

Masarap gunitain at balik-balikan ang panahon na pinagsamahan, pinagsaluhan at pinagkaisahan...ang tawanan, iyakan at LAFANGAN.  

Lumipas ang mga minuto, oras at mga araw sa payak na paraan. Payak sapagkat magaan ang pinagdaanan ng ating pagkakaibigan, payak ang mga kaisipan, payak ang pinag-uusapan. Walang hadlang, walang balakid dahil iisa lang ang ating mga kaisipan at kalooban.  

Masaya sapagkat may bago na naman na kabanata ang ating kinabukasan. Ngunit madami tayong katanungan. Saan patutungo ang bagong buhay, ano kaya ang aking magiging buhay sa kabilang bayan, paano ako mabubuhay ngayon na ako'y mawawalay sa aking mga minamahal na kaibigan.  

Lahat ng katanungan ay nangyari na, nakalipas na, napagdaanan...nabuhay ako na nag-iisa at walang kasama, masakit, malungkot at mahirap.  

Masarap sapagkat bagong lugar, masaya sapagkat bagong buhay, mahirap sapagkat magkakahiwalay.  

Ngunit, hindi doon nagtatapos ang lahat... 

Simula pa lang ito ng tunay na samahan at pagkakaibigan, madalas natin sabihin magkikita pa naman muli (kung hindi pa tayo mga ulyanin). Magkakausap pa muli (kung hindi pa mahina ang ating pandinig). Magkakasama (kung wala pa tayong mga rayuma at karamdaman). At sa katunayan, tuloy ang LIGAYA sapagkat IISA lang ang ating KALOOBAN....ang katotohanan na MINAHAL natin ang isa't-isa.  

Ang tanging maipapabaon namin sa iyo ay ang aming taos-pusong PAGMAMAHAL.
Paalam, KAIBIGAN. Hanggang sa muling pagkikita-kita 

Nagmamahal,  

Ate Daisy
28 June 2013
Dili, Timor-Leste 

Thank you so much ate Daisy for being there all the time!  

It's not goodbye but see you!

I scribbled this abridged version of my experience in Timor-Leste while up in the air traveling from Dili to Singapore on my way to Manila. The end of my two-year placement in Timor-Leste. 

Today, i have left the land of lafayaek bringing with me happy memories and several lessons learned from my two years stay. Timor-Leste is s small country nestled between Australia and Indonesia. I came to this country with so many questions and anxieties in my mind. The usual questions of how are the people? What's the living condition like? What will I do during my spare time? How can I make friends? and all sorts of other question about life and living in a foreign land. 

Answers to these questions slowly unfolded as I lived each day of my two years in Timor-Leste but I would sum it up as one of the best chapters of my life's and career's journey. Life was not a bed of roses but everything was manageable. Developing friendships was not difficult although true and real friends was a tough one! But there were friends who remained true until I stepped on the plane and continued to be friends until now. Life was made easy with friends around who helped me quickly adjust to my new living environment. Navigating around was easy with the size of Dili making it easy to familiarize one's self with the surroundings. The most basic stuff that a foreigner would need is available from the groceries with the proximity of Australia and Indonesia where most of the goods are coming from. There were occasions when the groceries would run out of milk or butter but this is life in an island so you just have to bear with it or whenever you get the chance to have it, there is a tendency to hoard the goods.   

I have chosen this photo because of the flag

Work was initially challenging. I have to navigate myself around in order to understand the structure of the organization but through my initiative I have understood how it operates. As a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, I found it difficult to make people understand and embrace it because I am a foreigner who has come to install systems for the most sensitive part of program/project management. There was resistant at the beginning but i was aware that this is a normal reaction from people  in an organization which has never touched on M&E and a Malay (foreigner) has come to look at the impact of our work to the lives of the people we are helping. There were individual differences and dynamics that I have to deal with but I managed to deal with it. In the end, everything turned up well. I have made friends  in the organization on a personal level. The overwhelming celebrations accorded to me and the personal accounts from colleagues about my contributions in the organization confirmed how I made a difference though personally, I was really fully satisfied. Nonetheless, in this kind of work, small change means a lot! 

I have learned great lessons from developing friendships. There were friends whom I thought to be real but failed to sustain the real essence of friendship. There were friends I had put under the category of acquaintances. There were friends who never left me no matter what. There were friends who gave me so much lessons and insights in life, who helped me look at the other side of me, as an individual.  

It took me long deciding to leave but it's a career move, a professional growth. I will surely miss my life in Dili but life has to move on. To those who are so dear to my heart (you know who you are! ), thank you very much for making my life and living in Dili, colorful and wonderful. It's not goodbye but see you! 

Field Work

Despite the challenges in traveling to the field, I always try to find something positive apart from of course doing the tasks that bring me to the field. Here's a major realization tonight while i was sipping coffee with my local colleagues at the local restaurant in Maliana.

If there is one thing I like about field work, it is the moment shared with colleagues. I am referring in particular to the dinner together wherein we got to talk about different things which i don't normally have the chance to do since everyone is busy doing their work at the office while lunch break are always spent at their own houses. These informal talks give me an idea about work, their own challenges both in dealing with their tasks and colleagues. These informal talks let me go inside their inner self through sharing their family stories, their background. These informal talks give me an idea about what they want for professional and personal growth. And most of all, these informal chats give me a glimpse about their history and how it influenced their personality as well as upbringing. This in turn helps me to understand them and most of all, all the more I understand the importance of putting into context everything I do, considering the kind and nature of work that i do, which is development.

Father Chubby

While witnessing the washing of the feet during the Holy Thursday mass, memories of the 1^st time I witnessed a reenactment flashed back on my mind and I remember with fondness Fr. Chubby.  Fr. Chubby was the first Parish Priest at my home place in the Philippines; I was only four years old then when he moved to our barangay (village).  As the first Parish Priest, and also his first parish, he was young and energetic then. The convent was so vibrant during his administration. He tried all his best to observe all the feasts and holy days of obligation with simple yet memorable celebrations. It was then that I remembered, Fr. Chubby as the first priest who made the commemoration of the washing of the feet something to look forward to during Holy Week.

Our house then was only a block away from the convent and every afternoon he would hang out in our small sari-sari store and wait for passersby, which was his own style of integrating with the community.  Slowly people would converge and before dusk, a number of people are already gathered around him, listening to his stories. As a child, I admired him so much and as I was growing, all the more I appreciated him and his closeness to people.

Fr. Chubby was my ‘firsts’.  My first confession was to him, which was done just inside our classroom on my 2^nd grade. I also received my 1^st communion from him as part of the first confession. He was also the one who assisted during my confirmation. Fr. Chubby was around during my childhood, he had seen me excel in everything I do, and he was part of all my success being a great motivator. Every day, he would ask me what I learned from school and during competitions; he would always be there to support by practicing with me the poems that I have to deliver during the inter-school competition, the spelling, quizzes, etc.  I learned to read fast through the comics he was renting which I picked-up every day from another sari-sari store.

Being used to hanging out at home, he had watched me grew up and I became very close to him and even after his service in our place, I always made sure to visit him at his parish. During Christmas, he always made sure that I receive something from him, which in most occasion, a ten-peso crispy note. He was happy to learn, that I enrolled in a Catholic School and even more proud when I completed my secondary studies with honors.  Despite the distance of his parish assignments and my being busy with university studies, I knew he was always there for me. When I passed the board exam, I was surprised and deeply touched when he came to our place with a copy of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; he kept the issue with a list of the Social Work Board passers. Again, he was proud that I was among them.  Later on, I learned also that he was telling other parishioners about my success. Whatever I have reached, I knew he has been part of my prayer brigade.

Sometime in 1998, he got assigned to a parish where my 2nd job was also located.   I was so happy because the convent became my lunch place. If there are occasions at the office requiring overtime, I would stay at the convent but there was always a curfew and on the dot, he would be at the doorstep waiting for me. His main reason for doing it was that he was accountable to my parents. He would lend me his books, he would save me pistachio nuts because he knew it’s my favorite, he would keep the freshest fruits from the offering for me, etc. These are small gestures but meant a lot. During my break-up with my boyfriend for seven years, I cried in front of him while he was listening to my sobs and assuring me that things are gonna be alright. He served as my spiritual advisor. It eased the pain but I knew deep inside him, he was also hurting. I went overseas for 1 ½ yours to do my ‘world peace’ stint and when I returned to the Philippines, I was so happy to learn that he was assigned to the parish next to our place, only 7 kilometers away from our home. However, in less than a year, he had a heart attack at the age of 55. I was shocked and I couldn’t even believe it. I went home from Manila to attend his funeral. At the wake, I told him ‘why did you die? You promised to officiate my wedding” which made those who overheard it, laugh. Once he told me that he was prepared with his homily for my wedding but this event never happened until now and I guess one of his frustrations for me. It has been almost 5 years since he died, and I want to relive his statement in one of our conversations, “Aydle (this is how he calls me), I pray to my dad to intercede for me before I pray to God because prayers from the dead is very powerful”. This Easter, while commemorating Christ’s resurrection, I want Fr. Chubby to resurrect in my life and I hope that wherever he may be, he is always praying for me.  I surely miss him!

Happy New Year

Today is the 10th day of the first month of 2013. Allow me to greet you readers my best wishes for 2013! I will post separately my revisit to 2012 and moving forward to 2013. Cheers and may we all have the best that we wish for this year!