Buying ice cream at the Dumaguete airport

One of my wife's uncle is an OFW working in Dubai. I met him when I went to fetch Cathy in April 2004. He had been able to return home to Dumaguete for a month's leave. When I arrived, his month was nearly over.....he'd be leaving while Cathy and I were still there. Of course, when the time came for him to return to Dubai, we all went to see him off at the airport.

His children were there, as were several nieces and nephews. Upon seeing this ice cream vendor at the airport, I couldn't resist taking his photo and buying ice cream for all the children. After all the children had picked out what they wanted, I discovered that the vendor could not change a 1000 peso note. I was buying the ice cream on impulse....I hadn't planned on it, otherwise I would have broken the 1000 ahead of time. I knew from experience that it's often difficult for the smaller shops and vendors to have that much money on hand. One thousand pesos is roughly $20.00; that may not be such a big deal for your average American merchant, but many Filipinos don't earn that amount of money in a week.

I could tell by the expression on the face of Cathy's aunt that she was upset with me. She thought she was going to have to pay for the ice cream, but fortunately, the vendor was able to find a place to change the thousand.

The day was saved.

Dumaguete Airport: Part 6

Cathy's visa had been approved and so on Good Friday, April 9th 2004,I left the U.S. heading for Dumaguete to "fetch" her.It was Easter Sunday in Philippines when I arrived.I was met at the airport by Cathy and her family.I went to the Gazebo hotel ,freshened up and went back to the church in Sibulan to attend the afternoon Mass.
I only had a week vacation scheduled and we'd be leaving for the U.S. the next Friday.The Monday after Easter that year was April 12th.....my birthday. We had a big party lined up. It was part birthday celebration,part engagement party and part going-away party.I believe the entire barangay of Tubtubon was at the party.A few photos taken at the party can be found here.

Comment on a Dumaguete blog

In a blog by villageidiotsavant Dominique wrote at length about the Philippine practice of the Misa del Gallo ...the custom of attending pre-dawn Masses in preparation for Christmas. Prior to meeting my wife,I spent two Christmas seasons in Philippines but,unfortunately,my friends there did not introduce this to me.The thought of attending Masses at 4 or 5 AM for nine days would be something I would have loved doing.We don't have this in the Catholic churches in my part of the U.S. (I can't say if it's available in other U.S. cities) and that's a shame.I like the idea of an entire community being taken over by the celebration of religion on such a grand scale.
I hope to be able to go back to Philippines during Holy Week for this reason.
This feeling of "community" isn't likely to happen in the U.S.......too many different Religious Traditions.No one would agree on what to do and we aren't really as tolerant of other Religions as we say.

Thoughts on poverty in Dumaguete

There are times when I see photos from Philippines- or read stories from there- that I become almost overwhelmed by sadness. I am very sensitive to the problem of poverty in the country.

An example of one recent story that upset me can be found on Poverty News Blog It tells of the growing number of women turning to prostitution to support their families. This is a tragedy beyond words. I can't imagine the feelings of despair these woman must have.

Being married to a Filipina, I come in contact with several American men who have a Filipina wife.Sometimes, because of social events, I find myself in the company of some that I would not otherwise associate with.There was one particular American here that was looking for partners to join him in buying a bar in Philippines.He let it be known that there was a lot of money to be made because of the women who worked there.Most of the Americans who knew this man told me that he was just one who liked to talk and I shouldn't be upset, but I was greatly insulted by his proposition.The idea that someone would take advantage of someone so improvised is disgusting to me.

Of course,not everyone born into this kind of poverty is going to take the same route. There are countless numbers of highly religious and moral people in Philippines.Still, it is also a tragedy that too many are forced into becoming overseas workers in order to help their families.It is unfortunate that there has to be so many working in the Middle East separated from their loved ones.

I wish I knew the answer.

Dumaguete Airport: Part 5

Leaving the Dumaguete airport in July 2003 was a very different experience from my two previous flights out.On my first trip I went to the airport alone;on the second trip, I was accompanied only by the lady from Siquijor.
Cathy was different.When she saw me off from the airport,she brought family members and friends.I felt like part of the family.These people care about me.
Most of those people are still in Philippines and we aren't able to see them.Three of our friends from Negros are in the U.S. and we try to get together whenever possible.
This lifestyle of staying close to friends and family is something I cherish in Philippines......it is sadly lacking here in America.I believe it is so alien to the American culture that most don't realize it's missing.