Philippine Asian News Today Vol 20 No 08 | Page 23
April 16 - 30, 2018
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
23
Faith and love journey happily ...
FROM PAGE7
(Yes, Andrew won as one of the
10 top young entrepreneurs in the
world.) A visit later to Manila where
they stayed with Andrew and Sandee
cemented the friendship and they
became baptismal godparents of
Amanda. Isabel is a public relations
practitioner and Joao is with Mercedes
Benz. They have an 18-year-old sweet
son, who is progressing well with his
new treatment for autism.
We had dinner with them one rainy
night in a unique restaurant—one
that clung to the rocks kissed by the
big waves. We ate fresh sea bass (they
showed us the live fish, lobsters, and
shrimps in their aquariums) and squid
salad amid the roaring of the surf!
Fabulous and memorable evening!
They met us again the next day
and it was for organic fruits made into
heavenly ice cream! This was after we
walked three kilometers to see the
museum in the ancestral home of the
Monserrats in Sintra. The whole city is
a UNESCO World Heritage site. Wow.
I found myself huffing and puffing
during our trip because of the long,
long walks, but because the weather
was really cold, I handled the walks
well! (thank you, Dr. Mark Llenado) I
loved the experience of being a tourist
again, this time, thanks to my Sandee,
(and Andrew for lending his wife) and
Amanda. This senior citizen passed
with flying colors, including dragging
her luggage by herself when needed,
but mother and daughter were always
ready to assist!
We visited the monastery at
Alcobaca, a beautiful Heritage site
of UNESCO and its quaint plaza and
environs. I bought dried fruits there
like dates and ate them on the ride
home.
I loved Madrid too, only I did not
get to explore the city as I should have
had. Well, there is another time, God
permitting Jose Rizal, our national
hero is remembered there with a
monument, and a marker outside
his favorite tapas bar where he often
dined with other Filipino expats there.
In a newly-renovated hotel, he gave
a speech when Juan Luna and Felix
Resurreccion Hidalgo won top prizes
at an international art exhibit.
Going back to our piso (Airbnb
apartment) in Pamplona was always
exciting as we moved from one piso to
the other after a trip. The pisos were
generally bright, clean, two-bedroom,
bath, living room and the kitchen was
quite livable especially since Sandee
loves to cook. The two of us would
walk to the nearest supermarket
mostly five blocks away, shop, and
haul the groceries back. Then she
would dish up gourmet meals for
Amanda and her gang mates, Bianca
Javier, Julia Cruz, and Inaki Eizmendi.
They and Amanda were the recipients
RETREAT IN PORTUGAL Clockwise from top: Sandee with her hungry charges in
Pamplona–Bianca Javier, Jules Cruz, Inaki Eizmendi, and Amanda.; At the cathedral of
St. Mary in Pamplona with its beautiful silver and gold altar. This magnificent edifice is also
a museum and a UNESCO cultural heritage site; Cafe in Portugal with Amanda, Jules,
and Sandee; and Intramuros? No, at Obidus in Portugal where the past is preserved.
of Sandee’s loving home cooked
meals. Me, I was the table-setter, taste
tester, and dishwasher. Simple tasks
performed with love.
Amanda is blessed to have
Filipino soul mates in her university.
While they have friends from the
international community, the Filipinos
know how to bond and support each
other. She can speak Spanish now,
not as fluently as the natives but
she can get her way around. She
hasn’t been there a year, but she has
adjusted and is happy. Sure, she gets
lonely for the comforts of home and
having her parents with her, but she’s
a courageous determined girl with big
dreams. I await her return home at the
end of their school term and a happy
homecoming for her. (mb.com.ph)
73(5 @6<9 5,?; .,;(>(@ ;6
7(3(>(5
+
5