Bekins, Boxes and Boracay

Another three-day weekend is upon us here in the Philippines and yet I will be spending it purging more of our house of... stuff.

I've managed to squeeze books, and assorted this's and that's into one box. I'm not happy yet and will do another round of sorting in the coming weeks. The box is too heavy and needs to be divulged of books and other things I felt deemed worthy of sentimental value. It's most likely c-r-a-p. Will be even more ruthless for Round 2 of operation "Move Life Back to the US".

When my mother transplanted us here in 1980, our entire house fit into a huge Bekins container that followed us via the ocean six months after we arrived in September. The green metal rectangle was attached to an 18-wheeler. How it fit into our narrow street is beyond me. I remember it feeling like Christmas the day it arrived. My bed, toys, dolls and everything else we had owned in the US (except our car) had finally come.

This time as I return to the country I once called home, no containers or vans or trucks will be needed. Everything has to fit into two suitcases and a box. Or a suitcase and a box. And where once we came to the Philippines to the warm welcome of relatives who appeared out of the woodwork, my daughter and I will be going to a state where we know no one save for a few Filipino strangers who are kindly offering the use of their home for a season.

I would have wanted to see more of the country before leaving, especially since I scored a pathetic D on my local travels.

Out of all the beautiful beaches, mountains, lakes, rivers, springs, and caves that I will not get to explore, Boracay is the one place that though I did get to visit, I wish I could afford to go back to just one last time.

How many more days?

AAAAACCCCCKKKKKK!!! That medical exam is next week!

Next week I have to sleep early (or not...), I have to wake up at THREE A.M., I have to wait (better bring a book. maybe Wuthering Heights?), aaaand... yea. Hahaha! That icky part that people have to do for medicals.

Le Sigh.

Six Days to Go

Kyera's medical exam is on the 29th.

She's nervous.

I'm not looking forward to waking up at 3AM.

Here's the face of her waiting.


We had a fabulous weekend. Possibly one of our last out of town with dear friends. Click here for more pictures.

In the meantime, I will be heading to the Bureau of Immigration to surrender my beloved Alien Certificate of Registration (ACR) and Immigrant Certificate of Registration (ICR). I was told I will be given a final exit permit that I will present at the airport before I board. Sigh.

I would have wanted to at least keep these but it's not feasible to since they need to be maintained locally. One of the first things I will do when I get to the US is go to my nearest Philippine consulate or embassy and apply for a Philippine passport so that I can finally be a Dual Citizen.

song playing on itunes: save tonight by eagle eye cherry

My Undiscovered Philippines

With a little less than a month here left in my beloved Philippines, I am ashamed and sad to admit, how little I've seen of the country I have lived for the past twenty-seven years!

My Lakbayan grade is D!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Yes, I Blog Too

Hello there!

I was just looking through our blog when i realized that my mom has A LOT of blogs on this. And I'm supposed to be the one with a lot of spare time. So, mom, sorry for not writing as much as you want me to.

Anyway, on to me. Hehehe! My interview with the US embassy is set on September 5th. I'm pretty nervous about it. My medical, which is set exactly a week before my interview, is making me even more nervous. I really really really hope they give me a girl doctor! Right??

Hmmm... Let's go talk about fun stuff now. I'm excited about shopping for a suitcase for me! But, I'm not about to get a pink one. No, mom! NO! I don't care if grey is "old". I'd rather be mistaken as old than as a cutie-patootie. I'm not really looking forward to the packing part... But, I think i can manage...

So... there you have it. That's what I've been thinking about. Interview, medical, suitcase colors, and packing my closet.

Toys for the Extension

My landlady is the BEST!

She's letting us extend until September 15. Whew! After Saturday's drama, I was seriously on the verge of panicking.

At least that has bought us more time to put our life in order, aka pack and box what will fly with us to the states.

In the meantime, I have side projects to keep me entertained before we leave. Remember how I blogged about getting to review cameras? Well, slap me sideways and call me blessed coz I now have in my possession an Olympus E-410! And a Packard Bell EasyNote BU!


Go-0lly!

Good toys to keep oneself entertained while the daughter waits for her interview the first week of September.

Monkey Wrench

Dear Thelma and Kyera,

We apologize for the inconvenience but your presence is not welcome at our home after all.

Sorry for the short notice.

Hope you find a place to transfer to for a month until you leave.

Good luck.


Love,
S

Yup. That was my Saturday morning. Above conversation actually took place over K's cell phone. Had a good sob over the whole matter and watched Blades of Glory to forget the phone call. It worked. Chazz and Jimmy had me tearing and gasping for breath in a good way.

K and I have our fingers are crossed that we can extend. Otherwise, we'll be crashing on someone's couch.

Please pray for us.

I'm reminding myself that all things work together for good.

Five Sleeps Left

Our lease is up on our current apartment. Actually it ended as of May 15, 2007. But because of this whole "moving back to the US" project, it didn't make sense to lease a new place for a few months; that, and it would have been too astronomical a price to pay.

So I did the next best thing any orphaned only child would do. I asked my ex-mother-in-law if her grandchild, together with her mother, could move in. She agreed.

We move in on August 15.

And we still haven't packed; still haven't sorted through our junk; still haven't realized the full ramifications of moving into someone else's home.

That last part is going to be a stretch for us seeing that we are so used to having our own space. Ten years will definitely a comfortable space make.

Wish us well as we divide our lives into piles labeled "Dump", "Donate", "Deliver".

I promise to be as ruthless as possible. No more pack rat-ing of stuff.

My motto is, "If it won't fit into two suitcases and two boxes, it has no place in my life."