UNANG HIRIT

I’m Baaaaaaaccccccckkkkkk!!!

Pasensya na po sa lahat ng naghanap at nagtanong kung nasaan ako, I was actually out of the country for 3 and a half weeks, plus another week and a half for self quarantine which is imposed here in GMA.

I have to admit it was a long vacation by TV people’s standards but after giving birth to my 2nd child and working non stop for over a year, I felt I needed to recharge…most especially since it’s free.

Yep, that’s right…FREE!

It was a gift from my beloved parents-in-law (thanks mom and dad!) to the whole family. Something that had been planned for almost two years and something I looked forward to for a very long time.

My husband travels a bit for business, while I travel when:
1. it’s free.
2. it’s cheap and i have money for food
3. i’m no longer breastfeeding
4. the bosses say yes
5. it’s free, hehe

But seriously, with every travel, I come home more appreciative of what we have and who we are.

I realize there are a lot of Filipinos all over the world, but it should be mentioned that these Filipinos, the OFWs, the backbone of our country, are the very people who make traveling away from home easier. For every second that we get to meet them and talk to them, seeing them in action in their jobs, it makes us feel like we never really left. They make everywhere feel like home.

From Italy to Spain, I met fellow Pinoys who never failed to show a bit of kindness in every step.

When my husband and I landed in Rome at almost midnight, my first worry was the taxi ride going to our hotel in the city. I was wary of dishonest taxi drivers which travel writers always warn us about. Thankfully, a fellow Pinoy, a domestic helper who just landed with us to go back to her employer, took time to find us a cab and talk to the driver to take us to the hotel. Besides that, she was also trying to help an old lady (also Pinoy) who flew to Rome alone. That was the first act of kindness I received on my trip, and it was from one of us.

In Florence, along the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge, I was looking for a toilet (hey, when you need to go, you need to go) and ended up at this gelato place at the very end of the bridge. Usually, they don’t take too kindly to non-paying customers who use their W.C., but this sole Pinoy worker who worked behind the counter, not only pointed me in the right direction, but afterwards, actually gave me a free gelato. I was hesitant to accept something that could get him in trouble but he just shrugged and said, with typical Pinoy bravado “ako boss dito,” it was a joke of course but I appreciated it nonetheless plus the gelato (my new addiction) was absolutely delicious on a very warm day.

On the Ruby Princess ship (for the Eastern Mediterranean cruise our family joined), there was no shortage of Pinoys. They went out of their way to make us feel special by serving our table specially made tapsilog for breakfast one day. And for dinner one night, there was sinigang, kare-kare, adobo and sinangag. Mind you this isn’t as easy as you’d think because with more than 3,000 passengers on board plus hundreds of crew members, it’s an understatement to say they cook for a lot of people. The day before the cruise ended, I was surprised with specially made chocolate covered strawberries by the Pinoy crew onboard (again, thank you!). I can proudly say the Filipinos are well represented, as they are most polite and hardworking.

Our last stop Spain is not exactly the easiest place to be in. Very few speak English but again our fellow Pinoys saved the day. It shocked me how, in every restaurant I visited, the bartenders, servers and even cooks were Pinoys. Of course they spoke (and shouted) in Spanish, but you can spot Pinoys from a mile away. They not only made the best food recommendations but they made sure we were okay. If you’ve experienced the crazy crowds at Tapas bars and Jamon selling places, you’d know what a relief that can be.
Indeed these are simple acts of kindness…but every second of it counts for travelers like myself who always need to have a little bit of home with me. They made me feel extra special and proud to be a Filipino.

On that note, I would like to thank those who have read the blogs here on the unang hirit site, especially those who have taken time to write their comments and suggestions. A special hello to Abet & Lori, James, Nance, Maricel, Celine, Par, Chloee, Tenj, Rene, Crislyn, Cesar and Angelli.
If there’s a topic you’d like me to write about, please let me know. I promise to try my best, the soonest.

By the way, to my fellow Twilighters (am i too old to be this excited?), konting tiis na lang! November is just around the corner! Yahoo!

Thank you…Sheh sheh ni mhen!

P.S. I read in a book (Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader Golden Plunger Awards) that people in Spain usually prefer chocolate milk, instead of regular milk, for their cereal.