We're Back

Oh yes, we have returned. Six months ago. The date may say February 28, 2009 but I'm wriing this on August 6. I know its late....but due to jet lag and well pure , Grade A laziness I've put off blogging. But I'm back and hopefully I'll find things to blog about (Sigh, my lifes just not that interesting) But, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, or maybe I'll look to my husband for inspiration....

Luckily, it was a beautiful day when we returned because we were both pretty sad to be home. We had so much fun gallivanting and exploring; it was divine not knowing/caring what day or time it was. Now its back to reality...And what a home coming it was! We had to go through customs/homeland security because many a felon had the name Carlos Gonzalez.

We spent our last week in the Phillippines visiting family members. For Carlos it was mostly about connecting with his fathers side of the family. We first met up with Carlos' cousins and hung out in Timog, which is in Quezon City. Over beer and margaritas, we heard crazy stories about family and basically shot the breeze. They were wonderful, chill and down to earth people - maybe its a Gonzalez thing. At the end of the night there was a lot of picture taking and email address trading; hopefully we'll keep in touch. The most anticipated meeting for Carlos was meeting his two long lost older brothers. He was able to track them down through his cousins. We had dinner at one of the brothers homes and he was an excellent cook - a trait that coincidentally Carlos' dad had. The other brother (who has an uncanny resemblance to Carlos) is in the process of having his own political talk show Usapang Pulitika. Both brothers are ambitious businessmen who are very involved in their community. According to Carlos, they seemed to have a lot of Gonzalez characteristics a lot of which he can't pinpoint, but knows that they are Gonzalez characteristics.

I was able to meet a few members of my dad's side of the family. My dad comes from a family of 13, and I met four of his siblings and a few cousins. The first family I met was my uncles family in San Francisco Del Monte. We were welcomed, generously with food. He has three children - all of whom are smart, talented, loving, and polite. I fell in love with them all. My uncle reminds me a lot of my brother - same characteristis, same facial features. It's a relief because my brother was always somewhat of a mystery. The next day, I met four and my aunties and more cousins. My aunties run an internet cafe in Metro Manila. My aunties are all single, jolly ladies who told me story after story about my mom and dad. It was nice to have some of my questions answered and to get in touch with my roots.

On a last note about the Phillippines, picking your nose (in public), staring, and hovering is not considered rude. I think thats great. My only regret is not being able to ride a jeepney...maybe next time.