Chapter 12

Chapter 12
Chapter 12 It appears like the next few days, if not weeks, will be full of activities. As those things will be slightly unusual, and the fact that I am getting older, I will try to provide a diary so I can put the information in each day before I forget what happened. Friday 27-Nov-09 See what I mean? I have forgotten what happened already and it is only Sunday. Seems to me that it rained, the remainder of the last typhoon. Two islands appeared in front of my home, stone washed in by the seas. A little further down the beach, where a river from the mountain flows into the sea, a gully has appeared, obviously because of the heavy run-off. So, faced with periodic rain, I stayed around the house, enjoying the fresh air brought in by the rain. Fresh sea air and fresh rain air are different, each has their own particularities, but both exceedingly fresh. By mid-morning the rain disappeared, and Ken and Marcy called to say we were invited to a foreigner’s house for a birthday party. So, we joined them in their car and drove about 20 minutes to a small subdivision, where John (I think I mentioned him in the last chapter, but if I didn’t, he is an Englishman and his Filipino wife; I met them last week) and Shirley were hosting a party for Pedro, a Swiss. Ok, Pedro is not a Swiss name, his real name is Peter. He spent quite a lot of time working in Mexico, and became known as Pedro there, and it sort of stuck. Pedro is looking for a Filipino bride. He hasn’t had a lot of luck so far, but, he is still trying. He had a girlfriend, a very similar situation to mine. He found he could not afford the whole family (hither-to unknown to him to be as extensive as it was), and that the girl was only interested in the money, so… Nice guy, a little difficult to understand, the German accent being quite broad. Pedro is originally from St. Gallen, but has not lived there for some time, his job taking him on travels around the world. Pedro has a home in the same subdivision as John, but his home is still somewhat under construction, so John offered to host the party, with Pedro supplying the food and funds needed to complete the drinks and eats. Ken and Lanie from Ubay were invited by Ken and Marcy. That is a very Filipino custom, whether it is a birthday party, wedding, funeral or family doings. Extra people are invited by the invitees. Get used to it. And expect they will want to take doggy bags back to the folks unable to crash the party. Jeffrey appeared, an Englishman who spent his years from 22 years old until now, about 50 or so, in South Africa. A rather large man, extremely red-faced, he also has his stories about his first relationship here. Believe it or not, just as in America, there are good Filipinos and there are bad Filipinos. His girlfriend is a very little young woman; I swear she looks to be a skinny 13 year old, but in fact she is over 20 and already has a small child. Her waist appears to be about 18 inches. I am told she is a superb cook, and with the elimination of Jeffrey’s income by the first relationship, very often they do not have money for meals. She scours the surrounding jungle for food, and as I was told, she will then offer one of the best meals you could ever have. Derrick and Neville (also Englishmen) appeared later, with their wives. Both appear to be in their 60’s, perhaps even 70. And both wives are in their early 20’s. The Filipinos seem to look upon age differences with an extremely cavalier attitude, as compared to the American viewpoint. Love (or need of money) counteracts any age difference. Seeing a 70 year old with a 20 year old does not cause people to stop and stare, it is ignored (of course unless you know the 70 year old or the 20 year old, then you ignore and as soon as possible start talking about them). No difference basically between America and The Philippines. John, being the excellent host he is, immediately started pressuring us to have a beer, which was graciously denied by Ken D and me, Ken being an alcoholic and I being stubbornly accustomed to the dusk happy hour and this was only 11:30 in the morning. But, by 12 noon, he won, and I joined the party. There was an Indonesian there, a fellow called Rick. Nice fellow, very pleasant to talk to, but very silent about his own life, so I really don’t know too much about him. I do know he also lived in St. Gallen, and is retired now with his wife. I understand he frequents these get-togethers, so I will try to learn more about him at the next doings. Then Daniel appeared. Daniel is a German Swiss, a little unusual in that he sports earrings on both ears. His wife did not accompany him, for whatever reason. Daniel’s hobby is producing his own spirits. Apparently he has a rather large distillery in his home, and concocts many different drinks. He has one caveat to giving or selling his product. He does the taste tests on each and every product, which entails consumption of at least half of the lot. As a consequence, it seems to be difficult for any of his acquaintances to remember him being sober. A few other people arrived, wives (but no husbands) and widows. In fact, there was one widow that Pedro is interested in, so he spent much of the time following her trying to convince her not to go to Italy next week to work for 6 months. A typical husband and wife party, the women inside helping prepare the meal and the men outside telling stories, some true, some not, some clean, some not. An extraordinary meal, Filipino lechon (roasted pig), English braised potatoes, French side dishes, Chinese vegetables, along with several desserts, both Filipino and English. One dessert in particular was Mango Float. If you ever….. Graham crackers, condensed milk or cream, and of course, mangos are the main ingredients. What they do to it, I have no idea, but if you ever….. Florida tells me she knows how to make it, so it is on the agenda to be made soon. For me. And only me. I will not invite anyone. All in all, a wonderful time. About 3:30 we left, having spent 4 hours there. The beer was still flowing, and as we left, James (another Englishman) showed up with his wife. I suppose this party was still going well after supper, as I am told this is modus operandi. Saturday 28-Nov-09 Stefanny turned 9 today. She had to go to school for a few hours, a review was being held, so we had decided to have a class party. Early this morning, Florida, her mother, Pia, Leonora and a gay called Palatine (Pal-a-teen), a neighbor, began making the meal. Spaghetti. Filipino Spaghetti. Filipino Spaghetti is your basic Italian Spaghetti with one exception. Sugar. Yup, sweet spaghetti. Many times this dish is offered as a type of dessert instead of an entrée. To make this in the amounts needed, they used the dirty kitchen instead of the clean kitchen. I don’t remember if I have mentioned this before, but, the typical Filipino house has 2 kitchens. One inside, like the Americans, using gas or electric, and one outside, using firewood or charcoal. Dirty kitchen denotes the state of the area around the stove, the obvious blackening due to the flames and smoke of the wood or charcoal. Different utensils are used for each kitchen, and in this case a huge wok-like frying pan was used to prepare the sauce. This pan is approximately 30 inches across, and roughly 10 inches deep. Boiling the noodles was done in a couple 5 gallon pots. Hours later, the spaghetti was made, but not before lunch was served. Lunch was a type of pork, but put basically in a hush puppy style, breaded (sort of) and fried; steak fritters (don’t know how to describe them other than fritters), also fried; steamed fish (using a recipe Florida learned in Hong Kong); and a vegetable dish I cannot possibly describe other than it had lots of vegetables in it along with camote tops. Camote tops are nothing other than the leaves of a potato-like vegetable. By the way, sweet potatoes are boiled and then eaten as a sweet. Because of the steak fritters, we had banana catsup. Yup, banana catsup. Doesn’t have a spicy taste like tomato catsup, but, is red (red bananas????) and has the basic flavor. Very unusual to taste however. So, Noel (Florida’s nephew) went to town to collect the cake in the multi-cab, and then returned to pick up people to go to the school party. The class was intended to last 3 hours as a review, but the first hour and a half was pure party. After class finished, Stefanny and most of her close friends raced home to continue the party, and we were visited by Florida’s cousin, his wife, and his 2 children from a previous relationship. Bicycles were racing around the house (outside), with an occasional foray through the inside. People were in the salacote (the outside meeting room, made of nepa and bamboo), in the house, on the lawn and outside the surrounding fence. Someone came by selling rice cakes, so we added that to the feast. I had been having a little problem with my back, a vertebrae which seemed to have slipped out of place, so Florida had texted the mountain man who apparently is far better than a bone-cruncher. Once he arrived, with his wife, he first worked on Erica, the one year old, who had a cough. After the massage she was given some sort of concoction, a leave from a tree boiled in water and who knows what. Within hours, the cough was gone. So, I was next. He and his wife worked on me for an hour. Very unusual massage, being four hands working me from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet at the same time. Instead of the typical bone-crushing, he used a method I will call the push-push method. Standing at my head, he pushed his palms down my backbone to approximately half-way, where the offending vertebrae were laying. Doing this for about 7 minutes, each time pressing harder and harder, it did not hurt, but the pressure I felt was intense and all the while his wife was working on my leg muscles. Then he moved to my feet and did the opposite, pushing up from just above my tailbone to the offending vertebrae, all the while his wife working on my neck. Another 7 minutes or so of this, then he had me turn on my side. A torturing 10 minutes of pressure on my hips and then a sort of relief by focusing on my thighs. Jeez. Then he had me turn to the other side and repeated the same actions, all the time his wife was working just below my shoulder, and under the shoulder blade. To wrap things up, he then had me return to my stomach, and I again received an entire body massage by both of them. I asked about the charges, and was told 200 pesos ($4). Being the rich and giving person I am, I dug deep into my pockets and gave them a $2 tip. Amazing how an extra $2 widens the smiles by 3 inches. Absolutely amazing. By 9pm I was totally exhausted, but the kids, like normal kids worldwide, they could not be stopped. It was very obvious that the moment one fell down, they all would break into tears, being so worn out that one trigger for one will trigger them all. We had a difficult time running them down, and then settling them, but a huge pot of hot chocolate helped, as well as the decorating of the Christmas tree growing in front of the house. 10pm and all is well. Sunday 29-Nov-09 Dawn arrived, and I was already on my daily walk. I say daily, because it is my intention to continue this walk each morning, somewhere between 4am and 5:30. It is only my sixth morning walk, so maybe a little early to determine it is now habit, but, I fully intend to continue. Only time will tell if my commitment is what I intend it to be. Florida and I, and sometimes Joshua, walk to town, a distance of 1.3 kilometers, and sometimes we go beyond, perhaps another 1km, and then stop on our way back at the bakery for fresh rolls. Invariably there is some missing by the time we are back home. I don’t know anyone that can truly ignore warm bakery day after day. On occasion we meet one or the other of the ‘crazy’ people, folks whose minds seem to have left them, and some bakery is handed over. Generally we receive no thanks, that being beyond these folks communications ability, but that is ok, we know they are thankful. Breakfast is sort of a give and take situation. During the week, with school happening, mass confusion exists. Of course, there are only 2 children in this house, but, Pia is getting ready for her work, and Leonora checks in with some food as well as her son Noel, who lends to the general confusion by talking to everyone at once. Jona may or may not appear with Erica which then causes Joshua to forget all about school and gets busy playing with her. Today was a little more confusing, as Adele and RR (the sister from the mountain) spent the night because of Stefanny’s birthday, as well as their son. The son does not speak English at all, but he and I spend a lot of time smiling at each other. I would guess him to be 9, almost 10, and he is a most industrious fellow. His name is Lester, and at 4am when the day had begun, there he was, wrapping up the mosquito net and the sheets and blankets. Once finished he began to sweep the lawn, from front to rear, and then moved on to Florida’s bedroom, which has a floor made of the tougas wood. Inserting his foot into a half a coconut which had the meat removed, he began to ice-skate across the floor, applying pressure by leaning into the coconut. With the meat removed, only the fibers are left, which act as a polish to the wood. One day I will take pictures of this floor, it is most beautiful. At 9am Ken D appeared at the gate, the technicians for his phone had arrived so he wanted my help. Yesterday I tried to get his computer to connect to the internet (dial-up), but couldn’t. I called the hotline but the phone lines were so terrible I could not understand a word the technician was saying. It was like he had a mouth full of potatoes in the middle of a typhoon. I vaguely heard he would send a technician on Monday, but he appeared today, Sunday. Once the phone was taken changed I helped Ken get online, as he was anxiously waiting news about his brother in Florida. You may have heard about the 19 year old woman who crashed through a home, knocking a man out of bed. That was Ken’s 80 year old brother. Without the internet, Ken could not find out how he was, and was understandably upset over the inadequacies of dialup internet. There is digging going on right now in front of our home, the eventual internet cable system. The cable will be going entirely around the island, and is being dug by hand. Somewhere close to 40 men and boys work 6 days a week on this, and started months ago in Tagbilaran. There are no guesses as to when it will be live, but everyone is anxious. Having corrected the problem, I returned back to Florida’s to have a cup of coffee and engage in the general nonsense going on. Ken D had invited us to the garden at 1:30 to meet another American, so I got busy trying to sort things out for the rest of the day before going on the visit. Amazing how easy to let things ride when you are busy with family fun. At 1:30 Florida and I went to the garden, and met Seth, from Portland Oregon. Seth came here 12 years ago, and lived in Mabini, a remote village. Last year he returned to the states to resume teaching, a temporary assignment in Yuma Arizona. Three weeks into the job and he had a stroke, and had to quit. The purpose of him teaching again was to earn a bit more money to help finish building their home. Now, not being able to do so, he is living in Tagbilaran instead of completing the home, which he has now sold. It was a pleasant couple hours, if quiet. Seth is not a conversationalist, but Ken and I made more than enough noise to cover his silence. Then supper, in mass confusion. Monday 30-Nov-09 Today was Joshua’s 7th birthday. From dawn, preparations were made, which needed Florida, Rita (Florida’s mother), Adele (sister from the mountains), Leonora (sister down the street), Nora (next door cousin), Pia (sister) and Palatine (gay). The roster of gophers goes like this: Noel (nephew), Jona (niece-in-law), Elmer (brother-in-law), me, various children, and some unknown friends dropping in as early as 6am. By 10 am the first visitors arrived, Ken and Lanie from Ubay, with Lanie’s daughter, Erika, and the celebration began. Erika walked to the back yard, then out the fence to see the ocean. She immediately turned around and told her mother she wanted to move here. Erika is 13 and is one of the most popular students in Ubay, but she is prepared to transfer to school here. This is a gorgeous place. After coffee and pastries, we walked down to Mercy’s bonsai garden, and talked for about an hour before all of us, including Ken and Marcy, returned to Florida’s home. Lunch was served, New York Sandwich (more about that later), La Roca Beef (Bif), fish, a vegetable concoction (thank me for some of that, I did the carrots) resembling a cold salad, spaghetti, fish tempura, rice, squid, pansit (and more about that later as well), plus others too many to mention. La Roca Beef is Palatine’s specialty, the beef being pounded to pieces, and cut into small strips the evening before, then placed into a secret marinade. In the morning he breaded and then fried the beef, and I must say it was most tasty. I am not a beef fan, so I am extremely picky about my beef. Desserts. Ok, now about Mango Float. 1. In a pan, place a thin layer of graham cracker crumbs. 2. Next pour a coating of cream. 3. Float a layer of sliced mango. 4. Float a layer of graham cracker crumbs. 5. Float a layer of cream. 6. Float a layer of sliced mango. 7. Float a layer of graham cracker crumbs. 8. Continue the process until the pan is filled, the last layer being graham cracker crumbs. 9. Place in the freezer. 10. Eat. Now you know, there is no excuse. Do it. Immediately after lunch, the video-oke was brought out. Florida’s brother, Martin, made this video-oke, and it is an extremely professional piece of equipment. Some 10,000 songs are on this, from English to Visaya. Palatine immediately started to serenade us, with Ken U stepping in within minutes. Soon, almost all were busy singing, laughing and joking about the participants. Three o’clock rolled around, and the first children began to arrive. Joshua had invited 3 of his friends, which was all he wanted, so Florida had invited a few more, about 5 more or so. As the children began to arrive, the adults took their leave. I had purchased 15 miniature yo-yo’s as gifts for the kids, expecting no more than about 8 or so, but I knew I had to be a little more generous, hence the 15. 34 children appeared; each of the original 8 invited a few more of their own guests. I was really concerned about only 15 yo-yo’s, but Florida said no mind, the children understand. And they did. The yo-yo’s were given out randomly, and each of the children were told there were only so many available so everyone must share. Amazingly there was no arguments, no tears. This culture is so giving and sharing. I don’t know if that is a Philippine trait, or just a Visaya trait. Remembering what I was told before I arrived, the Visaya peoples are the friendliest and most generous people compared to any other peoples. Ok, back to the food. Most of you will know a sandwich called Croque Monsieur, or at least that is how I remember it being spelled. This house has a substitute for that, however, as they have never heard of a Croquet Monsieur, perhaps it is more proper to say that they have their own brand of sandwiches here. Called a New York Sandwich, it is a very simple sandwich. 1. On a slice of bread, place a slice of ham. 2. On the ham, place a slice of cheese. 3. Roll the bread, ham and cheese into a tight roll. 4. Dip the bread roll into a beaten egg. 5. Roll the bread roll in soda cracker crumbs, or bread crumbs. 6. Fry for a few minutes. 7. Eat. Mustard is uncommon here, but I highly suggest it be used. This is a simple sandwich, easily made, and as good as the ingredients might be. Never mind the use of Wonder bread, or any such common bread. Pansit. What can I say about pansit? Pansit, on the surface, appears to be a number of different size noodles, with beef and/or chicken and/or pork pieces, carrot pieces, as well as other vegetable pieces, cooked, some soy, and who knows what else. Pansit is found all over this island, and a generous helping for two will cost slightly more than a dollar. The recipes for pansit are as varied as the villages. Each one seems to have a different recipe, and all are tasty. Ok, or, as they say in Visaya, sige (pronounced si-gie, means ok), after food, cake and ice cream, lots of coca-cola, the kids alternately rode the bicycles around the house and sang to the video-oke. And sing they did, as loud as they could, mostly off-key. It was wonderful. Many of the kids took advantage of me by taking my picture, as they don’t come in contact very often with foreigners and wanted to prove to their parents that they knew one. At one point we gained another visitor, one of the crazy ones, who let himself through the gate, and sat down unobtrusively near the back gate to listen to the singing. At 8pm, Palatine started rounding up everyone to send home. By that time we wouldn’t have minded all of them staying overnight, just as long as we could sleep. Tuesday 01-Dec-09 I had to go to Tagbilaran to renew my visa. Once again, I was able to get the yearly visa, although I am not eligible as I am not married. I found out a little about this process. The government issues this visa stamp, with a number assigned to that individual. Should that individual leave the country, or die, that number is never assigned to another. However, as the number remains in perpetuity, it is available to the immigration officers. Last year my visa belonged to a dead man, but the number unfortunately was smudged in the process of being stamped. So, this year, a different immigration office and officer, I will once again have a visa. I paid my fee ($206) and will have my passport and visa returned to me next week. The officer will take it to Cebu, on another island, and have it stamped properly (sige, sige, maybe a little smudged). A little shopping, then returning to Duero on a perfect day, helmet-less. I know, very dangerous. But… Wednesday 02-Dec-09 Ok, a normal day, finally. Up at 3:30 (don’t ask me why, I’ll tell you no lies), then a nice walk from 4 to 5. Back to the house for breakfast, rice, squid and steamed fish leftover from yesterday. Can’t go wrong. Just a nice, easy day. Spent a large amount of time watching the ocean, which seemed to be extra calm, almost like a mirror. Funny how that works, so rough for days, then so calm for a couple days. December 8 is the town fiesta day, so lots of parades, music, eats, disco, gambling and fun times on that day. I am hoping the next 5 or 6 days quiet down a little, I could use the rest