bayaw brew, episode iii (ehe, sori leyt)

less than 48 hours after landing in manila, i was whisked away (thankfully so) to puerto galera. i thought i'd never actually say it, but bayaw i am so thankful for the warmth of the tropics! the beach, the sun, the sea, the scantily-clad--erhm.... let's not go there... ladida...

(roll music here, yung may parang bells or chime na sound)

ash i wash shaying...

...

my last night in the us was, again, with beer. at julie's house, a few of us gathered and had a marvelous home brew (we christened it IDA IPA) of indian pale ale and a table-full of pwede-na-rin-sigurong-tawaging-pulutan. i was conscious about not getting tipsy because of the long flight back the following morning.

disclaimer: hindi lang panay beer ang inatupag ko dun ha. trabaho. pero ba't naman ako magba-blog tungkol sa trabaho, di 'ba?

anyway, as the beer flowed (in my case, into three pint-sized mugs), as the food disappeared, and as people left, i realized that my trip was essentially made memorable by the good people i had the pleasure of meeting and spending time with.

when i arrived in amherst, i was telling people that if i ever have the chance to tour the us, i would prefer touring the countryside more than the cities. but when i got to new york, its unique charm stuck, and now, weeks detached from my visit, i still feel drawn to new york (especially the village).

it's not the place. it's the people.

like ken, my most gracious and hospitable host (miss his house, very near the connecticut river, na may heater, salamat sa diyos sa nakaimbento ng heater!).

like gina, who took me around new york far better than any of those red double-deck tour buses could. and stazi, whom i spent time with briefly (she had homework and soccer the following day).

like mary, and julie, who picked me up at ken's every morning.

like shan, who walked me around emily dickinson's house despite her having the colds.

like monica, who picked me up at the airport, and arranged for a cab to bring me back a week later.

like rob, and his fine brew of ipa.

it's people like these who make one feel less foreign in a land where one obviously is...