Even though we're barely more than a week into our trip, I have already experienced what will surely be one of the best highlights of our journey - meeting and becoming a part of Rachel's family in the Philippines. Never before have I met such a warm, welcoming group of people so willing to go out of their way to make me comfortable and feel at home in their country.
Before diving into details, some quick background. Rachel's mom has 8 brothers and sisters, 4 of whom are in the US. The rest (and their families) along with Rachel's grandparents, are in the Philippines. Prior to our visit, I had only met Rachel's grandparents who flew in for our wedding last year.
From the minute we landed, it was like we were celebrities receiving VIP treatment. We had a small entourage waiting to pick us up at the airport and drive us to our hotel. When we arrived there, Rachel's grandfather (Tatay as we all call him), was waiting for us and had a dozen San Miguel beers waiting in the fridge for me to try. The next day, a national holiday (fiesta) was taking place, so we had a family reunion at Rachel's grandparents' house. Everyone pitched in and made all of Rachel's favorite Filipino food and made sure to make most of the dishes with chicken instead of pork, because they know we don't eat pork. The food was delicious (pancit and chicken adobo for you Filipino foodies out there), and I had the best mango I've ever tasted.
The rest of the week consisted of my new family shuttling us from tourist site to tourist site (Corregidor and Intramuros), around their barangay (neighborhood), or wherever else we wanted to go. When I got sick (read Rachel's blog for the details, they're too painful to rehash here), all of the mothers took care of me and Rachel's grandmother (Nanay) came over to our hotel right when we woke up the next morning with fresh lugao (rice porridge) to help settle my stomach. At the end of the week, we were presented with a variety of gifts to commemorate our stay, when we absolutely should have been giving for the wonderful hospitality we received.
To my new Quezon City family, I could go on for many paragraphs about how incredibly I was treated over the past week. Every single member of the family played a part in making me feel welcome and I will be forever grateful for that. You made the beginning of our trip so special and memorable, and I will always think back fondly to our time with you. My only wish is that one day Rachel and I will be lucky enough to return the favor of your hospitality. You are all truly special people and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. And as McArthur said upon leaving Corregidor (but actually in Australia as we learned this week), "I shall return." Bless you all.
Jeff
Post note: for those of you who know Tagalog, you're probably thinking I made some critical understanding error in calling Rachel's grandparents "Tatay and Nanay." Normally, you'd be correct (Tatay is father and Nanay is mother). In our family, EVERYONE calls them Tatay and Nanay, regardless of relation to them. This quirk will become funny when Rachel and I have kids as they will call their grandparents Lolo and Lola (grandfather and grandmother), but their great grandparents Tatay and Nanay (dad and mom). Go figure!
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