Sunday, February 6

Our JourneyHome 3: Snippets of Ordinary Life

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Man is impressive in this way: we adapt. Easily.

48 hours after the end (and beginning) of our tiring travel, we started our bounce-back trail and did ordinary things.


Going Out of the MouseHole

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Elijah makes friends by helping this man arrange his display shelf.

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Binalot is a Filipino word which means "wrapped."  Filipino farmers used to wrap their lunches in banana leaves every morning so they can eat it in their fields mid-day. They were quite selective in their choice of food: they avoided all viands which would easily spoil in the sun.  This style of serving and choice of food dishes is preserved by the Binalot restaurants scattered around Metro-Manila.  The only difference is that it is no longer limited to farmers and we don't need to tote the leaf pouches along as we go about our business.

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Lomi (thick noodles in thick brown soup) and meds for sweet sick Elijah.


Scuttling Back In

Elijah ate honeystars and lazed with his cousin.

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Elijah is introduced to HoneyStars Cereal.

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Discovering Crevices

He discovered the piano in the living room and fell hard at first sight.

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Venturing Out Again

We went to visit relatives and explored the streets of Manila as we did.

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Elijah fell asleep in the van.  My mother's shawl draped over the seat to cut the glare of the sun.

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Elijah turns batang-kalye - or streetchild - as he visits his great grandfather in Quezon City.

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He tries an Uncle's bike on for size. (Not for a few more years, Elijah.)

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Making friends with his Lolo's (Grandfather's) neighbors.

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The Philippine Jeepney is an open-air mini bus found in every street, road, alley and high way in the Philippines.

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The Philippine Lechon or Spit-Roasted Suckling Pig is a favorite in fiestas and other special occasions. They are often sold along roadsides in certain areas of Metro-Manila.


A Short Nip of the Tail

A short rendezvous to the doctor's clinic to check if everything was ok with my little boy led to a blood check, too. But such is ordinary mundane life - always full of surprises.

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And then, Holy Grail!

And, finally, we went to an iconic SM mall and met the Big Bee.

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The Toy Stall along the walkway caught my little boy's eyes.  
Ok, ok, I admit it.  I was drawn to it, too. Who doesn't like toys anyway?

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My husband's short sweet affair with the sisig started that day.  Sizzling sisig is a Filipino dish made from parts of the pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers.

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Hellooooooooooo, Jollibee!

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Who is Jollibee, you ask? You'll need to visit the Philippines to find out.

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