Week end picnic with friends

This is my second week end here and we decided to spend the week end outside the city. One of our friends (she is also the programme support manager) invited us as she planned to visit her grandma, the place is just across the river and outside the city which perfectly fitted to our plan.

I woke up early that saturday morning anticipating another might be memorable day for me. Because it’s too early, I decided to wash my clothes and the clean the house right after breakfast. At about 10:00, Lorna rang me and said that they cooked Bulalo for lunch and if I could come over. I was hesitant at first since I might end up being caught in between commitments, but she’s so persistent that I agreed to come by early and leave at about 11:45 just in time to meet the group at 12:00 at Starbrooke. I called a taxi and left to go to Lorna’s place at about 10:30. As soon as I arrived, I told them again that I have to leave early because of prior commitment with my fellow volunteers. Lcukily, Jun (Lorna’s husband) just finished cooking the Bulalo and Almay (her daughter) is preparing to put some dvd for us to watch while she is setting the table.

We finally have lunch and now we are just chatting while waiting for time. Unknown to my knowledge the group decided that we left early. They called my house but the phone rang out. (The cell phone that I brought with me is not working since GSM is not yet available there; therefore there is no way to contact me once I am outside the house). At this point, I was waiting for the taxi to arrive to meet the group. Little did I know that when my house phone rang out (several attempts has been made to contact me) they panicked since they didn’t know yet that I have established a network of Filipinos here as early as my first week in the country. So they contacted the taxi company which VSO’s regularly use and asked them as to whether I requested for a taxi early on and the taxi dropped me. The dispatcher gladly provided the information (the taxi company knew almost all volunteers, so it’s easy to give them information such as these).

Soon, a taxi blew his horn and I rushed outside thinking that it might be the taxi I requested. To my surprise it was two of my colleagues (both big man, sadly at present one of the same colleague is still in Iraq captured and is being held hostage by the terrorist since 2007) and from the look on their faces, they were really furious with what happened. Though a bit afraid, I calmly approached them and asked why they were there and that I am actually waiting for my taxi to go the meeting place. Thereafter, I introduced them to my Filipino friends and we went off. While we are at the taxi, I explained to them what happened and I also apologized to them.

We arrived at the meeting place and the rest of the group asked what happened. Apparently, they all arrived early and were informed of what happened. Again, I apologized and informed them that I left my house early, the reason why I didn’t know of the change. They were all surprised to know that in so short a time I was able to build up my networks and started socializing. Then we bought ticket for the boat and went straight to the boat. The boatman handed us life jacket (I later learnt that everybody should wear life jacket whenever sailing the water regardless of distance). I told them that it was my first time to wear life jacket, even though I am accustomed to sailing in water sometimes rough waters having lived and grown up near the sea.

We were enthusiastically received by our colleague’s grandmother and other relatives. We were served a hearty lunch. Our colleagues’ cousin subsequently invited us to their back yard to pick fruits, fruits that I haven’t seen in my country nor in any of the books have I read so far. I saw something like a jack fruit but later I was informed that it’s not a jack fruit, or a durian for that matter, I can’t remember the name now though. Next, we had something similar to grapes but it taste sour and not at all grapes; again I can’t remember the name of the said fruit. Before the end of our adventure, one of our colleagues climbs up the tree to pick up one of the fruit which according to the cousin tastes really good. It tasted good indeed and we are all happy that we tried it even though it takes a while before my colleague is able to finally reached the safe part of the tree without being afraid of falling or breaking the branches.

We all enjoyed our little picnic in the woods, as one of our colleagues called it and we head back to the house. Granny (we all decided to call her Granny) prepared dinner for us and it was nice, we all enjoyed it. Then we all decided to go back since it’s about 7:30 and some of us are going some the following day. It took us however almost 1 hour and a half before we finally able to get a bus (it’s actually a van in the Philippines) back into the city. Inside the bus, everybody’s mood change and suddenly I felt like I am tired and I just want to be inside my house and straight to my bed until the maybe midday of the following day.