TravelswithCharie

I see my cottage rising from the bottom of the earth. Why do I say “bottom” of the earth? My property is below road level and as I walk farther into the lot, the earth dips another 5 feet. Part of the property was recently filled but another part was left as is to build the foundation of my 3 cottages. I can now see it gaping widely with parts slightly under water. The sound of an angry and snarling dog scares the heck out of me. I realize I am alone and no one about to whom I could shout for “Help”. I have no stick to defend myself in case this mad dog, who has never seen a veterinarian, attacks me. I walk away from it feigning pluck, which is nothing close to what I really feel. The smell of newly laundered clothes make me wince in horror. But the sun has been missing for days and my clothes must have been slightly damp when the laundry woman ironed them. It is an embarrassment and I hope I meet no one along the beach on my way home. I wish I could buy a real dryer. Not the spinner t...

I’m on my way to becoming independent again. After 2 months of major dependency on my household help, I think I’m ready to move on. I’m confident about this because my wonderful cousin, Inday, has introduced me to Lloyd, a tricycle driver. Lloyd comes by the apartment on Monday mornings and picks up my laundry. He takes it to the Laundromat and drops off clean and scented clothes at my place the following day. Not only that, my clothes are back in shape after being washed and line dried under uncertain skies. You have no idea how big this is. In December we had a devastating typhoon and in January, this “low pressure” has kept everything damp. No amount of “nature fresh” and antibacterial Downey could keep my clothes from smelling of sweat. I dreaded to approach anyone within 5 feet. It was that bad. For 60 cents/kilo, my 7 kilos of clothes, towels, and sheets come home from the Laundromat smelling s w e e e t. I’ve yet to get used to this. One day after a change of fresh cl...

On Christmas day 2006 the headlines read, "Filipina raped by 17 Kuwaitis". Nothing could be more grim. This woman was trying to escape her employer when she encountered these men who took her to a desert camp where she was raped. Then they transferred her to another camp where she was again molested. (Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire!) According to the newspaper report, there has been 19 cases of rape against Filipinas in the Gulf Emirates. Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) have been called the new heroes of the Philippines. I understand there are 8 million OFWs around the world. Many of these workers are university graduates who seek employment in foreign shores where they can get better pay. All for the sake of supporting their families in the Philippines. They leave with noble intentions and work hard. They suffer the pain of separation from loved ones, privations and discrimination. All for love of family. Not everyone is so lucky to come home unscathed....

Barely 2 months since arriving in Roxas and I've already been invited to 2 weddings. What a wonderful occasion to meet friends and family! And I must say that the choir music at both weddings were inspiring. But what I'll remember for a long time to come are these words from the officiating priest at Cielo and Taddeo's marriage ceremony. I quote, "Hell is the absence of love". No wonder........

What a whirlwind 2006 was for me. One of the biggest changes I made was to drop anchor here in Capiz where I made my first steps as an 11-month old babe. Thank goodness for the warmth of family and friends, I have adjusted well to my new life. Inday Daku and Joen Conlu have always been there for me. They've found me a place to live in on the beach and have looked after me since. And Jack and Wee Conlu have fed me so often that I'm totally spoiled. And I love it when their kids, Iggy and Carey, look for Tita Charie. Tina Ong, my beautiful cousin, took care of finding me the contractors and getting their bids. She had paved the way for me to get started with my building plans as soon as I arrived. And Tita and Tony Santos, Tina's parents, are often inviting me for family get-togethers and took me to my first ever trip to Kalibo, only an hour and a half away. Pilot and Rudy Beluso have helped me in many of my "local" issues. They are not only good friends but part of...

I heard that a local composer liked the "Little Drummer Boy" Christmas song and he wanted to compose something similar. He came up with Boom tarat tarat, the sound precisely of a drumbeat. The popularity of this song comes not only from its catchy lyrics but also from the dance steps that locals seem to know and dance by heart. Grandpa, the teacher or professional, the balikbayan, the little kids, the shy teenager, they all have their way of dancing to this music. The first step is to pull your forearms in (like when you say "Yes!") and right knee up then tap your right behind with your right hand, then your left hand over your left behind. This follows the line, "boom tarat tarat". The second movement follows "tararat tararat", and the hands wave to the right like a hula dancer. The third movement follows "boom, boom, boom" and the foreams pull in while the pelvis pushes out. A very macho movement! You can't imagine how many interp...

It's Christmas Eve and I'm just now writing my personal greetings to you. As you know, I'm in the Philippines for the construction of my beach cottages on the island of Panay, just southwest of famous Boracay Beach. We've been through 2 typhoons and I personally have faced many new challenges. But it's been a great 6 weeks and today, my hairstylist convinced me to sport a new look. It was hard to let go my long hair but now that it's done, my head fills lighter (ha ha). Angel, the hairstylist, assured me I would look younger with a layered do. (How can I doubt him with a name like that?) I'm also slimmer (according to my masseuse) from walking on the beach everyday. Don't know how long I can stay this way because I've been invited to so many lunches and dinners, sooner or later, all that eating spree will surely manifest itself in the most obvious places. The construction of my fence is halfway finished. There was added work because the property is b...

My sister and I had shopped for school supplies last August in preparation for my trip to the Philippines. We had planned to give a few schoolchildren at the Conrado Barrios Elementary School what they sorely need and could barely afford to buy. But only 20 children would be so lucky. We would also give them toys. My nephew at 10 years of age has outgrown toys. He is more interested in computers and his blog. I think he knows more about software than I do because he has uploaded videos to his blog. I had asked him to set aside the toys he no longer plays with so I could give it to the poor children in the Philippines. When I came by to pick up the toys he saved, he gave me a bagful of unopened McDonald’s toys from all the Happy Meals he ate. We chose the Conrado Barrios Elementary School because this is built on the property my great grandparents donated to the school. And recently we had donated books to its very tiny library which has six chairs, a cracked table and one shelf of book...

At the appliance store, the owner’s son and right hand man was telling me he would send the delivery boys to my apartment around noon. He told me not to worry. “They’ll be there, 'Ta”, he said. I nodded and walked out the door where light rain was falling. I think that was the first time I had heard this word 'Ta. It didn’t fully register in my brain until I was talking to one of the younger contractors who again addressed me as 'Ta. And some days later, the classmate of my assistant came by the apartment and said “Good afternoon, 'Ta”. In Spanish, we call our aunt, Tia. In the Philippines we say, Tita, a derivation of the Spanish word. It would seem that I have inherited a lot of nephews and nieces because the younger crowd (30 years of age and below) all address me as 'Ta. But today, everyone calls an older woman, 'Ta as a sign of respect. I don’t know if I’m pleased that the youth have abbreviated the word Tita to 'Ta. But I do know that I have ...