West Covina

A good neighbor here at the Moreno Valley invited me to West Covina, a Filipino community. Just an hour drive from Moreno, the place looked to me as some place in the Philippines... Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Chowking, etc. But the Philippingest is the sweet sound of Tagalog. In stores, you hear songs by Filipino singers like Christian Bautista's Hari ng Sablay, sellers help you by "ano ho yung hanap nyo?" and cashiers "salamat po." Filipinos get to talk freely in Tagalog in restos and even in sidewalks and parking lots. I cant help but be teary eyed just listening to these people who must have really missed their hometowns so much.

I also miss my hometown in Sorsogon. I also miss Manila and Glorietta, Greenbelt, and even the SMs. I love the screaming crowds, the jeepneys, and the tricycles. The accessibility of public transpo and even the smart-aleck taxi drivers. I miss my friends from TESDA...Butch, Tess, and in Sorsogon...Judith.

I miss Suyin, my ever loyal daughter, CJ, Ian, and Wes, my sweet cat... who'd follow me wherever I'd go. And Tootsie.

Until now, am still jobless. I dunno if I would be able to cope with the high demands of the culture here of the Northern Americans but I will. I will.