Well, there's a lot of firsts here for us this November. And this one tops the list.
This is our first All Saint's Day away from the Philippines. It's a bit strange not being able to visit my Mom. Sure, we visited here shortly before we left last month, but I still get that "longing" feeling. I guess my body "remembers" that I should be walking the stretch of Sucat Road from Goodwill II to Manila Memorial Park. My body "remembers" pushing and being pushed during the long procession to the cemeteries. My body remembers how painful my feet feels after that and how I love sitting down and chatting with our entire clan there -- by "clan" I mean, my Dad and the families of my two siblings. :) I remember how calm it feels when I'm there sitting at my mother's grave...
Strangely enough, I also remember and actually miss the thriving businesses that we normally see these days. Of course, the flower stalls are there (taking advantage of the season, tripling their normal prices) and of course the different food stalls. (Takaw talaga ng Pinoy!) Hehehe... Years ago, you only find the small food businesses. Nowadays, food business giants are taking advantage of that as well. Picture it: a Pizza Hut, Shakey's and Yellow Cab stalls standing side-by-side with makeshift sari-sari stores and hotdog/barbeque stands. Oh yeah... :))
Oh well, no choice but to deal with it. This is one of the consequences I know that we will be facing when we go abroad. Not that it bothers me alot. Just missing a little taste of home.
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