YEAR-ENDER...REJOINDER

It was certainly one of the peculiar years for us migrants. Counting the year’s blessings and curses is not on the top of my “to do list” at the end of each year. However, I could give an exception.

The first quarter of 2007 shaped our family’s focus of the year. Feeling the heat of the two kids, I have to stop working and Jaz has to pick up additional load from Altercare. After 2 years of understanding the culture of weather in Ohio, last Spring was a moment where we really got the real meaning of rebirth. It was something that we looked forward to, and Summer was the most anticipated one.

Right after Coco’s baptism, we drove all the way to Washington for our Spring vacation. We joined Bernie and Malou in going to the DC. The plan was to go to Niagara, but the icy lake has not started to thaw yet, hence we decided to visit the Baltimore Aquarium instead. That was our first real out the state drive. It scared the hell out of me, especially when we traveled through the PA turnpike, which was not very welcoming to drivers like me.

Summer was fun too. Right after Memorial Day, we went back to Philadephia, for MM’s baptism. It was a 6 hour drive from Ohio. To maximize the trip, we indulged ourselves to the blooming paradise of Longwood Gardens. (We nearly lost our video camera, thanks to the crew of the garden, we never had a hard time finding it back.)

At this time of year also, Coco and Zach started to show peculiar characteristics of growing up. Zach exhibited his linguistic prowess by calling milk, MILK; instead of manamanami. Coco on the other hand showed how fond he is with food and books.

In the middle of Summer, we were tossed into a situation were we have to decide whether to uproot ourselves from the confines of Ohio to the ranger’s life in Texas. It was not though a question of leaving or not, but of when. Hence, at the end of July, most of our things were already in Houston, except us.

Fall of 2007 proved to be something that I will always remember. Lolo Ente, after a long battle of old age illness, passed away. He was the last to go among my grandparents. I would always remember him as a meek husband to our strong willed Lola Consing. He was the most resilient one though. All my life, I had only witnessed him got angry once to me. It was when I “mistakenly fish-hooked” one of his chickens. ( I was then too tired from eating gulay and bagoong balayan.) He was a man of one word, and I will tell you, dare not to wait for the second one.

We barely noticed how this year ended. We were too busy fixing our new shack…and partying. The last four months of the year was all for “situating” ourselves trying to be real Texans. We have to introduce ourselves to the Freeways and Malls and to the whole Texans’ culture (roads and traffics here are very much different from Ohio). I found out that some of the drivers were not too courteous while driving. You really have to watch out.

Christmas season here was different. It was not always silent night. There was a lot of partying. We capped the year with a party in Rommel and Jean’s house with some of the folks from Roxas. Although we missed the BOOM and the BANG of Bocaue firecrackers, yet the ending was the same. It was a BLAST!

We have a lot to look forward to this year. Among which is Zach’s awakening, when is he going to start going to the potty chair...for real ? And of course, Coco, when is he going to start dieting.

Right now, we can only hope for the best of the rest of this year. I would always believe that all of our new year’s ritual for better health and wealth will have no meaning unless it points to the welfare of others…other than us.

We can only look forward to.