Maayong bagong tuig sa inyong tanan! Happy New Year to all! It’s been a while since I last posted because the computer here broke a while back. But thankfully my overseas benefactors have been gracious enough in their holiday giving to help me afford to buy a new computer for the parish. Big ups! I can now write my blogs as well as make baptismal and marriage certificates.
The holidays here were busy but fun. For the 9 days before Christmas I awoke every morning at 3AM to the sound of Christmas tunes, the old classics, blaring through the convent speakers for the whole town to hear—to get them out of bed and go to Mass well before sunrise. Misa de Gallo. A nice tradition but not my cup of tea. I attended once but decided subsequently just to wake up, pray, slip back into my mosquito net and go back to sleep. So much for inculturation.
We had a couple of Christmas parties. Our staff party involved dressing a few lucky contestants up in the weirdest possible costumes we could concoct using stuff around the house, and then have them dance around and do weird things. It reminded me of something my college roommates would do.
For the big parish party I was chosen to be the escort of the Queen for her coronation. Filipinos love pomp and circumstance I’m finding. The presenting of the scepter, the putting on of the cape, the offerings of song and dance, the royal march. I felt like a politician wearing my barong (fancy-lad see-through shirt) and shaking all those hands. Kind of liked it.
I actually spent Christmas in Cebu with my Lola, auntie, and cousins. Christmas Eve: dancing in the street with rich kids dressed up in cowboy outfits to a live band playing Nelly. Took a bottle-rocket to the arm. It stung and bled a bit but little more than a flesh wound. Woke up slow in a room packed with kids to a dreary, rainy Christmas morn, but it was just right. God is good, praise the Lord.
New Year’s Eve, back in Biliran. Fr. Pejay, his little nephew, King, Edito, and I celebrated Mass with the mountain peoples of Tubig-Ginoo, Kansanoc, and Tadloy. Then more dancing in the street until the wee hours, minus the rich cowboy kids. Vaguely remember someone telling me to “minimize my voice.” Me? Belligerent?
Anyway, prospero ano everyone! May your cups overfloweth with love and grace this and every year!
out
**NEW pics finally
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2 comments:
Now if only you could by them that helicopter that they've been wanting.
Nothing says college like Ferricane draping himself in a trash bag and duct-taping garbage to it on Halloween. We missed you at the wedding in NY. We watched the video Cecilia made for Tom’s Birthday when we were seniors – the one where you yell at me for almost fallowing down the stairs (we both had too much to drink.) Good times.
Keep your eyes open to the infinite blessings. You’re in my prayers
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