We made it. All four of us. An accumulated 50+ hours of transit and multiple and varied city stopovers and we’re finally all here. We’re in San Fernando Pampanga, in a small town just a few hours outside of the chaos that is Manila. It is hot, humid and tropical. There are palm trees on the horizon, jungle covered mountains to the east and coconut vendors on the side of the road. It is so nice to be back.
DJ and I never grew up with cousins and being surrounded by them all here feels amazing. There is nothing like the cocoon of family. Despite the years apart and the cultural differences, there is an instant connection between us that bridges the gaps. We recalled fights we had as children, uncle’s weddings, old games and weekends away. We’re all grown now, many of us with children of our own, but the childlike silliness has remained the same.
On the agenda for the next few days: to attend “sabong” – a cockfight that is mostly illegal in many parts of the world, to visit Mom’s old elementary school and serve Christmas lunch, to begin a series of “barrio” parties where we eat, dance and sing on the roads, starting this Friday. SO NICE!
