No Borders

Inset (counter-clockwise) -- (1) Shopping at Rockwell (2) Grabbing a bite after a long day of shooping at Greenhills; my host mom got so excited over the cheap goods and was able to grab some good finds plus a few Mikimoto pearls. (3) My wedding day taken near the poolside of the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIKO OKASAN!

Its my Japanese host mom's birthday yesterday, July 19th. I cannot believe it has been almost 10 years since I embarked on my first adventure outside the country that inevitably started my thirst to see and experience different cultures. Hearing a foreign language, of which I do not understand a word of, is like music to my ears. It just gives me that tingling feeling and I'm transported back to the time when I was sixteen alighting Northwest Airlines, my first plane ride by the way, and ready to embark on the then greatest adventure of my life.

I last saw my host parents. Otosan and Okasan, and my host sister Mariko two years ago. They came over to attend my wedding. My sister flew in from Australia and my host parents boarded a plane from Japan. It was my host parent's first time to travel to a foreign land and it still amazes me how they eagerly jumped on a plane bound for the Philippines, a country they've heard so much about-- not beacause of its famous beaches or its unique flora and fauna, but bacause of its endemic corruption, unsafe streets and kidnap for ransom gangs. Despite the bad image the international media plays up about my country, they still chose to brave the concrete jungles of Manila to be with me on the most important day of my life. I'm really grateful I was given the chance to be part of the Oya family. The ten months I spent in Japan was so wonderful because of their kindness and their eagerness to open their hearts to a complete stranger to show me a love that knows no borders.

I've already began to scout for a nice gift for my host mom. Probably an elegant bag made from Philippine indigenous materials. I saw a few nice ones at the mall so i'll probably send it out by next week.