Thinking of you {across the miles}

Cheesy hallmark card title, I know. Seriously though, SO appropriate for this post. Let me explain.

The reaction I get when people ask me where I'm from and where I've been are that of awe. Born in the Philippines, studied in Spain, lived in the U.S., worked in China, and now settled in Mexico. Granted, while it does sound like I live the life of an international jet setter, their is a dark side to all this. Over the last 10 years of my life, I have left a trail of best friends over various continents, most of whom I miss dearly everyday. I know most of you reading this post will completely understand.

While I think of my friends often, these last couple of weeks have been especially trying. One of my bestest friends in the whole world, H, is marrying N on the island of Boracay in the Philippines. As her wedding festivities are getting started, I'm sitting at my desk in Mexico City. The feeling is bittersweet. I'm here and not there due to a number of factors, the largest being my 3 month old baby boy S. While I am so thrilled at being a new mom, there is no doubt in my mind had the timing been different, I would be on Boracay island white wine in hand right next to H. 

Moments like these are heart wrenching...but I know that H knows how much I miss her, especially now.

There is so much in my head, but somehow I can't get my fingers to type it out. So I decided to talk it out instead. Here's to you H+N! You are both perfect for each other and all the best to you on your special day and forever! I love you!!!

Cantinflas the African Grey Update {yes, I know, I am blogging about a parrot...}

I've been able to keep up with my weekly resolutions so far...it's just that this week's task was all about auditing and the accounting of our company, and I highly doubt any of you are interested in reading about that! I wouldn't be...

But I do have other, more exciting news [to me anyway] to share :) Remember Cantinflas? He is our African Grey parrot who was supposed to settle in Mexico with us, but after endless attempts to get him across the Pacific, we failed. Not really because of the quarantine laws of Mexico, they are actually pretty maneuverable. It was because the airlines don't want the responsibility of taking on a parrot as pet cargo. I tried every airline possible and little by little became clear that it would be impossible. 

So then the dilemma was, what in the heck were we going to do with this parrot? Bueno, pues the stars aligned and before I knew it, my older brother J showed up at my Mom's house in Manila and offered to take the bird. Granted, I will say I was little apprehensive at first; I had already designed Cantinflas' cage in Chiconcuac and imagined waking up to him whistling on the weekends. But at this point I really had no choice in the matter, and at the end no one would do a better job of taking care of Cantinflas than J.

Thus we packed the car, bird and all, and trekked our way to Taal Lake, about 2 hours south of Manila to discover Cantinflas' new home - the yacht club J manages. And we were pleasantly surprised as you can see:

Cantinflas admiring his new view from his travelling cage

Different views of Taal Lake Yacht Club

His new friend Gaucho

The good news is that he has adapted super well! Who wouldn't want to live surrounded by lush scenery, fresh air, and an ocean breeze? He is talking, singing, and whistling more than he has in years. And he's looking pretty good too, don't you think?

Thanks to H. for these great photos!

So all ended well with the Cantinflas saga. Gordo and I just miss him dearly!

To believe or not to believe?

As a kid I used to remember my yaya (nanny) flip out every time she would see a black butterfly or moth inside the house.

A huge part of Filipino culture centers around their superstitious beliefs. Although my family itself did not pay much attention to these "explanations", growing up around Espie and Rosal* pretty much guaranteed all sorts of crazy ideas, stories, signs, omens, and whatever it was they told themselves to justify strange or eerie occurrences.

After doing some research (read: internet browsing), I found that not just Filipinos, but most Asian cultures believe the black butterfly or moth to be the reincarnation of a spirit that has come to visit. European cultures seem to attach a more somber meaning to these creatures - as an omen of death.

Homesick, Nostalgia, and (maybe) Remorse...all in one.

As I was writing my previous post, I started thinking about what the Philippines is doing to promote its natural beauty, not only to Filipinos, but to tourists from around the world.


I'm so interested in these Mexican bicentennial videos partly because I am new to Mexico and the process of discovery is so intriguing. It's never really occurred to me to look for videos of the Philippines. Having grown up there, (1) I thought I already knew what it had to offer, and (2) I didn't need a tourism video to convince me of its splendor.


But that is not entirely true. Even after 18 years in Manila, I've barely traveled past Luzon island (OK, I've been to Palawan and the famed Boracay, but can you believe never to Cebu!?). It's kinda embarrassing to admit this actually. When you live somewhere, you always think you'll have time to visit what is close by. So growing up we always held off touring the islands in exchange for more faraway exotic (to us) places. Now that I live on the other side of the Pacific, I regret not having experienced more of the 7,107 islands. 'Cause who knows when I'll be back to do so...


So anyway, here are the videos. The first one is a compilation of short clips that were probably shown during TV commercial breaks around the world; and the second one is a lengthier, more complete and narrated version.








Maybe it will convince you one day to visit (if you haven't already) these exotic islands that will always be home. To me.

how my NG is helping my TL

LOL :) Totally random title, I know. Let me explain.

The thought of moving to a new country is daunting, especially if you don't speak the language. Case in point: CHINA. I really don't know how I managed 4 years of the same 4 phrases over and over again - wo ting bu dong (I don't understand), wo bu yao (I don't want), wo mei you qian (I have no money), and wo yao qu (I want to go...). But hey, I survived right? Unfortunately my Mandarin didn't.

So now I find myself in some what of a similar (but not as grave) situation. You might be wondering, "why? you speak Spanish already don't you?" Well yes, not 100% perfect, but I'll give myself a 94%, which is definitely enough to survive. But the Spanish I knew before coming here is Spanish Spanish...from Spain. Huh?

The same way biscuits in England are cookies in America; Spanish vocabulary also changes drastically across the Atlantic. Although I've expanded my word base over the years, I'm still learning. Here are some of my favorites thus far:

chale - no way
chamaco - child
chambear - to work
chaparrito - shorty
chela - beer
compadre / comadre - brother/pal/friend; but usually used to address the godparents of your kids.
desmadre - kinda used to describe a disastrous situation, but I think it's more on the not so polite side (I wouldn't use it when describing an event to your grandma, for example).
guacala - gross / ew.
guey - man/dude
orale - right on; cool.
padre - awesome
sale - that's cool / ok.
tener hueva - feel lazy (again, not the most polite of sayings).

I decided against including the nastier slang (although I definitely have one or two (or three) favorites in that category too!), but you can check out a full list here.

Along with new words of course comes new pronunciations, the most challenging of which (for me) has been the dreaded TL. Most of these are proper names from Nahuatl, the Aztec language still spoken today in Mexico.

Popocatepetl

Tlacuache

Iztaccihuatl

Tlaxcala

Tlatelolco

Tlaquepaque

Tlatenango

Huatlatluaca

I seriously have laughing fits in my attempts to pronounce these words properly, but I've been getting better and better. The other day my gordo was giving me lessons, and quite impressed after he said, "see, your ng has helped your tl".

The NG he is referring to is that very specific sound in Tagalog that only native speakers seem to grasp properly.

ng - of
nga - pressing confirmation, truly, really. Oo nga - Yes, indeed.
hangin - air
ngayon - now
ngipin - tooth
langit - heaven
kulangot - booger

Did you try pronouncing the above? I found this mini-guide that attempts to help:

The Letter NG

This is a single letter in the Filipino alphabet and its sound is not at all foreign to the English speaker. It can be found in words such as “sing” and “hang” etc. The difficulty for non-Filipinos is that the ng sound is often at the beginning of a word or a syllable. Here is a trick to learn this sound. It works as long as you don’t pronounce the word “sing” with a hard g.

Repeat the words “sing along” several times together in a continuous flow:

Sing-along, sing-along, sing-along, etc…

Now remove the last syllable “long” and repeat several times:

Singa, singa, singa, etc…

Now remove the first two letters “si” and repeat several times while making sure that the sound of the letter Y does not creep into your pronunciation.

Nga, nga, nga, etc… 

Now you’ve got it!

Did it work for you?

Maybe with more practice my gordo's tl will eventually help his ng.

My Country...My Home in Need

It is always absolutely horrifying when natural disasters hit. And almost always, those people who already go through daily struggles are the ones most affected.

We all see the horror people go through around the world, whether it be from natural disasters or as a result of wars. Though we feel compassion for them, it is even more heart wrenching watching it happen to the people you love.

Manila suffered the brunt of Typhoon ONDOY (Ketsana) last Saturday, September 26th 2009. In six hours, buckets of rain fell - almost the same amount the city averages for the whole month of September.

According to the Philippine Inquirer: "The 15th weather disturbance that hit the Philippines in 2009 dumped a total of 455 millimeters of rain in Quezon City [Manila] alone in 24 hours, compared to the 250 millimeters of rain that Hurricane Katrina brought to New Orleans in Louisiana in the United States in 2005."

I don't use this news snippet in any way to marginalize what happened in New Orleans - it was just as devastating and heart breaking - but I do use it to highlight the severity and magnitude of this latest natural disaster to hit the Philippines.

I feel completely useless watching the news and reading articles from the comfort of my home half way around the world. I hear of friends and family helping, donating, taking action - everything I wish I could do for my fellow kababayans (countrymen).

Since I can't help physically, I hope that spreading the word in this manner can be my way of chipping in. We all need to be aware and help in any way that we can...

*I don't know who I should give credit to for these photos, but thanks to Kathy E. Zablan for compiling them in an album on Facebook*



















If anyone wants to help financially, there are a lot of websites accepting donations, and it's a relatively easy way to make sure your money gets to where it needs to go.

Ayala Foundation
select either "AF-USA Typhoon Relief Fund" OR "Philippine National Red Cross"

Philippine Aid

ABS CBN Foundation

Kapuso Foundation

y al final...prayers. It is one of the most powerful ways to help people make it through.

¡Viva Mexico!

September 15 in Mexico is a BIG deal! All the preparations since the beginning of the month lead up to this night where the whole country becomes one to celebrate it's Independence. People get off work early (if they even go to start with), families and friends get together, pozole is cooking, and millions gather in zocalos around the nation to listen to the grito!

I, of course, had to come down with the flu. Typical.

It was a rainy night here in Mexico City, but that did not stop everyone from gathering to shout alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderon (check out some photos here).


As I was missing out on all the festivities, I spent time perusing through our photos of Independence Day(s) spent in Shanghai the last couple of years. If it were possible to be even more nationalistic, the Mexican community in Shanghai certainly delivers.

Although celebrating half way across the world, we did so in typical Mexican fashion with mariachis, cerveza, and lots of the indispensable tequila. (It would not be a Mexican celebration without it!)



Chinese waitress handing out ice cold Coronas...


Partying lasted long into the night...as it does here too...what else is the 16th good for if not to crudear!


Yes, that is me (que pena!) dutifully taking a shot of tequila for my new home country. Ni modo, gotta do what you gotta do in the name of patriotism!


Until next year!

Celebration Times

Almost every country I can think of has some sort of an Independence Day or National Day. While the norm in most of them is to take the day off (maybe two, so it's a long weekend) to celebrate its freedom from some evil empire.


But of course in Mexico, as things here are done with so much more passion, we take the opportunity to spend the whole month celebrating. September 16th is the day of the famous grito, back in the year 1810 when Mexico declared itself independent from the Spanish empire.


The Filipinos didn't oust the Spaniards until almost a century later - in 1898. FIY just in case you were curious. It didn't really count as independence though - to end the war, Spain handed us to the United States and we were considered a Commonwealth up until after WWII.


Anyway, back to Mexico..


I suddenly noticed that the city was being draped in red, white, and green - and I thought - gasp! This is exactly like the Philippines - preparing for Christmas 3 months early!!! Then it of course dawned on me a short while later, that yes - those are the colors of the flag. (*blush*). But hey, I'm trying to find similarities, ok!?


This is going to be my first Independence Day in Mexico, although having spent the last couple of years with the Mexican community in Shanghai, I have gotten a taste for how important celebrating this day is.


This blog is already dedicated to discovering all things Mexicans, but there is a way to make it even more patriotic. We walked around the zocalo the other day and just happened to stumble upon the daily 6 p.m. flag ceremony.










.


So there you go - they do that every day - twice. The flag gets up there somehow. It was fun, aside from the crowd and the fact I was worried we were going to be caught up in another one of Mexican Mother Nature's past times. No harm done though.


To continue with the celebrations this month, my comadre is dedicating her cooking blog to Mexican dishes and tales from the kitchen of her home town...worth a look for some mouth watering photos on her blog aromasysabores. I'm still a novice in the Mexican kitchen, but maybe my suegra will have some secrets she is willing to share... ;)

A different look

After my near melt-down yesterday, I awoke with a new perspective. I started thinking about all the previous visits I've made to Mexico, and I really am lucky to have been exposed to it all prior to our big move. Hence the change in the banner of this blog. I started looking through great photos of our trips (courtesy of the fine eye and super camera of my husband-to-be), and I got inspired thinking that I do have a leg up since I'm not starting from scratch.


I've been reading the material of other incredible writers/bloggers out there who mas o menos started out like I am about to do. They all seem well settled and loving la vida Mexicana. You give me hope ;) Gracias. Lots of you just packed up and moved down south, which is really an incredible feat; kudos to you! I guess it is quite similar to how we just packed up and moved across the Pacific to Shanghai 4 years ago. I should be able to do it all over again, right?!


Being as that my love is Mexican, we have an incredible support group of family and friends that will definitely help with acclamitizing; but I do look forward to meeting the other expat souls out there in the big city who are looking for their spot too.

(Sigh) Shanghai...

Today happens to be one those incredible spring (borderline-summer) Shanghai days that I love so much. You know what I'm talking about...one of those glorious mornings where you wake up and you just cannot possibly fathom staying inside... After a morning of cleaning, we headed out for a lovely late lunch al fresco. Nothing is better than sitting in the sun with a cool breeze and the most refreshing, delicious, and crisp sauvignon blanc in front of you. At least for me anyway ;)




It's just one of those things that puts you in a good mood with a perma-smile on your face and "life is just dandy" kinda feeling! Weather plays such an important role in our outlooks on life. I couldn't imagine living in a place where it is cold and rains all the time (my hair! - oh the horror!). The Finn in me doesn't play a role when it comes to dealing with harsh climates! I'm a tropical girl all the way.

I have a whole new found appreciation for blue skies.

On a completely different note: the reason we got up early this morning was to make sure our house is spic and span in the hopes that our landlords will help us out and give back some part of the deposit. Well can I just say how freaking cool our landlords are!?!?!? They gave us back the whole deposit PLUS only made us pay half the month's rent. Woohoo! We are pretty good tenants and kept the place looking new, but this does come as a surprise. Just when you thought there aren't any decent people left...hahaha...life is full of surprises.

We are leaving in 4 (FOUR!!!) days...it's only starting to hit me now. Crazy new adventures are about to commence.

Lasting Impressions

I know this is supposed to be all about Mexico, but since I am not quite there yet...there is going to be lots of nostalgic tales and scenes as my last few weeks wind down in Shanghai. We got the chance the other day to visit the "Cuauhtemoc", the Mexican sailboat/naval academy (coincidentally), as it docked on Shanghai's shores for a quick visit.

While the boat in itself is majestic, the backdrop of the famous Bund and Pudong is hard to beat. Let's just say we had the best seat in town. These areas are considered quite touristy so we really don't come around here often...but jeez....when we do: it still takes our breath away. I'm sure you can understand why...




My gordo got a little inspired afterwards to take a few shots from our apartment balcony. This is what we see every night as we look out into the great maze that is Shanghai, Jing'An district.




We take for granted sometimes that we live in this great big concrete jungle. Sure, we complain of the pollution, the noise, the congestion...but when the rare blue sky makes an apperance above, Shanghai is really a beautiful city that beckons you to come explore and get lost in its charms and contrasts.

Comparisons Across Oceans...

I always wonder what to answer when people ask me: "What is the Philippines like?" Hmm. How should I sum it up? Is it even a possibility to do so in a few sentences?

When my other half finally made it to Manila, he said to me..."I feel like I'm in Acapulco". WOW. After having been to Mexico multiple times prior to his arrival in the Philippines, it took him saying that for me to come to my own realization as well. I've always felt a strong pull to Mexico and its culture and its people. Could it possibly be because it is so much like the Philippines in more ways than one???

I am hoping that a few photos will provide a more accurate description of the similarities between the two worlds. At least it will do more justice than the adjectives I can come up with. Take a guess where each shot was taken...




So throughout our relationship, we have constantly explored the similarities between our two cultures. Crazy enough, we even found out that the Filipino language, Tagalog, has a few hundred words that stem from the indigenous language of Nahuatl. I always knew that the Spaniards left their mark on both our countries, but never would have thought that the pre-colonization vocabulary would make it's way to the Philippines and into the language. My favorite of which is definitely Tiyangge (Nahuatl: Tianquiztli; Mexican Spanish: Tianguis) :)




The Manila-Acapulco Galleons certainly left their mark.

So who knows, maybe it won't be so hard for me to adjust to life in Mexico after all! :)