Interesting Tidbits

During my stay in Naval, I had the opportunity to travel using the more common methods of transportation typical in the provinces: pedicabs, tricycle motorscooters, motorbikes.

Day 2 Part-B

Upon stepping outside of the church, one of the first things I noticed was how fast the environment absorbed most of the evidence of a hard rain. The ground was damp but not soaked and the clouds were not the type typically for rain. Massive patches of blue sky blended nicely with the stretched and bulby white clouds. Most notably, the temperature was very pleasant. Oh I can get sooo used to this... Some of the congregation has assembled outside the church. Suddenly I had another urge to take a few photos so I crossed the road to snap off a few of the front of the church. A constant thought that was in the back of my mind whenever I took was of my concern of the local residents reacting negatively to me taking photos. I was a foreigner to their country and I did not want to give offense to my actions. As quickly as I took the photos, I placed my camera back into the pouch, Merly called me back to the front of the church. She said that Pastor Ronnie was going to drive her, me and a few of the church youths back to Chamorita for the church picnic. We piled into his car with Merly in the front passenger seat, me and the youths occupying the back seats, Merly's niece Shawe had to sit on my lap. She was shy to do so at first; then immediately, the novelty of being next to the foreigner who happens to be part of her family took hold as her friends were in their own ways exhibiting their own amount of curiosity. I mentally giggled in the assumption that Shawe's friends were also envious of her and Shawe was somewhat enjoying it. I redirected my attention to the drive; and once again, I noticed the drastic differences of the driving etiquette in Naval and in the United States. Yesterday's drive in Tacloban coming from Jollibee's was interesting and startling from my perspective and today was the same. One thing I told myself was not to bother trying to apply my driving skills here for the simple reason I am not familiar yet with the etiquette. Instead, I admired the view of the landscape as we drove along. (BTW- I will explaining the differences of driving etiquette later.) When we arrived to Chamorita, everybody spilled out of the car. Once again, I had that brief moment of clowns endlessly emerging from the stereotypically small car. A walk around the grounds revealed that some of the congregation had already began to arrive. Some of them were already preparing to ignite the fire for the grill. The youth that rode with us had quickly dispersed in different directions to meet others while Merly and I went to our room to change into more leisurely clothes.

After a quick change, I plopped on the bed for a brief stretch but made all effort not to fall asleep. I really doubt if I would go to sleep in knowing the congregation was on their way. All together, we were in our room for less than 15 minutes. That was plenty enough time for me to have a moment of quiet relaxation. Just before we exited to meet with the others, Merly received a phone call. It was Perla. She was already outside and chatting with some of the other people. After a few minutes of talking, Merly handed the phone to me. It was amusing in the fact that I would be talking face to face with Perla in less than 2 minutes yet we had a moment to greet each other with grand enthusiasm. I could not stop smiling at the thought then when I finished, I handed Merly her phone and we departed the room. When Merly and I approached the first set of people, Perla and her niece Ivy was there. Perla had her back to me and did not see me yet. I recognized her; but, I did not make any overt actions towards her. Merly established contact with her first and it was hugs and smiles. Perla then saw me and her smile was as bright and wide as Valles Marineris: The Grand Canyon of Mars. We exchanged hugs and smiles. Perla fired off a few questions such as: how was my trip, was I happy to be in the Philippines and some other related questions. I replied positively to each question to Perla's satisfaction. I was privately glad she was approving. Perla is in fact the person who in her own way matched me to Merly. In the beginning, I was chatting with Perla; but when Perla learned I had established first contact with Merly, she highly recommended I pursue the friendship with Merly. Perla was telling me of Merly's good qualities and it was in my best interests to make Merly my friend. I took her advice and I am so grateful for Perla. Merly, Perla, and I took a seat at one of the gazebo tables already occupied with a few other people including Pastor Ronnie. I obviously did not understand all of the conversation topics; but just from observing the tonal quality and the facial expressions, I could easily assume it was all good. There were times in which I was included in the conversation when either Merly, Perla or Pastor Ronnie would translate for me. One of the interesting moments were when I was asked a question and I would reply using what little Tagalog I could easily remember. The startling revelation that I knew some of their language and was making effort to speak it was totally impressed on them. Everybody was smiling and laughing with grand approval. Sometimes another woman would say something to Merly and Merly's reaction was huge smiles then she would lean over to me and tell me what was said,"She says you are handsome..." or "She says we are a good couple..." Another conversation was a humorous topic was related to my efforts to speak Tagalog was my skin color. Pastor Ronnie and Perla joked that I have some Filipino in me. Everybody including me laughed. My only reply was that as I understand it, I do have some Chinese by way of a great great grandmother. I'm not entirely certain of the accuracy of the statement yet I never bothered to verify it. I accepted the comment as a possible fact. It is a "universal fact" that conversations have a duration of seven minutes then suddenly all talking stops for a brief noticeable moment then a new topic arises. To be honest, the universal fact was something I discovered from the many late night group get togethers at the local restaurant during my early college days back in the mid to late 80s. Over twenty years later, here in the Philippines I just noticed the sudden quiet and I softly said "Seven minute lull". I explained to Merly what I was talking about and she understood and translated. I also noticed as Merly was explaining, a new topic was rising and my attention was redirected to another table that was occupied by some that were preparing some of the food. I excused myself to go sit at the other table and quietly observe. About a minute later, Merly followed me over. Again some of the ladies would say to Merly "He is handsome." with smiling approval. Again Merly translated for me and again I had to restrain from big faced smiles. I could tell from Merly's reaction she was so proud. I mentally made a commitment to myself to be on my best behavior as the most worthy gentleman with Merly at all times while in public. I would later discover that this attitude I happily exercised would be my best asset. Merly and I sat next to each other enjoying each others company. I was closely observing one lady preparing what appeared to be red onions. She was chopping them into small bits. Another person was handling what appeared to be potatoes. Merly reached over and took one, broke a section and gave it to me. It appeared and felt like a small Russet potato. I took a bite and it tasted like a hybrid of a Russet potato and yam. It was sweet. My brain was processing this new potato. Merly told me the name of the 'potato' is cassava I was thinking how much mom would enjoy eating such potato. The aroma of the onions were pleasant. I was curious to what food dish they would be included with. Merly was busy in conversation and I sat with her both observing the food preparation and listening to everybody speak. I tried very hard to identify some of the words spoken; but, the speech was still too fast and there was something about it I did not become aware of just yet. I did not let it bother me since this was my second full day of cultural immersion. I did have a moment of curiosity when I was to have 'culture shock'. I would like to think such event was not ever going to happen since I have had over a year of language familiarity from watching as much Filipino programs on Tv as possible, self teaching myself the language and the tutelage of Merly during our first phase of our relationship. I also tried to be as culturally aware of life in the Philippines.

A few of the ladies were busy preparing a dish made from fish called Paksiw. I tried to observe the process without being too obvious about it. There was a moment when I could think I was experiencing a sensory load from hearing, visuals, taste and smells. I was thinking I could detect the scent of ginger as one of the ingredients for the dish. All in all it was developing into a most interesting item.

Some of the guys were grilling a couple of large fish and another set of people were making improvised music with guitars. I continued my random observations and thoroughly enjoyed the company of the people here. It felt so relaxing and welcoming to be in their company. I realize there was a level of respected shyness from them since I was the foreigner; but, everybody was going to lengths to see that I was being well cared. The time to eat had come and Pator Ronnie gave the blessing then everybody converged with typical organized chaos. I filled my plate with a good sampling of everything and Merly was surprised I also took some of the paksiw. She watched as I took my first bite of the paksiw. I could definitely taste the ginger. It was not overbearing; but, just enough to notice the flavor. Overall, the taste was sweet. I quietly gave her the nod of approval and continued to eat and observe. Everybody was having such a wonderful time in conversation and laughter. Merly was amazed when I took more servings of the paksiw. She honestly did not expect me to enjoy it so much. I simply told her that I was willing to sample almost any dish at least once. I could sense that she was proud of my attitude in that regard.

In time, everybody had eaten to their satisfaction and the after meal socializing began. Clean up and collection was fast and organized. I assumed conversation topics varied as the congregation parted into smaller groups of a minimum of three people. Just the conversations were starting, Perla indicated she had to leave. She gave both Merly and I hugs then she left. Merly said to me that we would see Perla later in the week. By this time, the sun had already set below the horizon and it was getting dark. With the remaining light, the congregation started their exedus from the area and they all gave reat and appreciated thanks for providing the food and drinks for the picnic. I responded appropriately; yet deep inside, I felt a sense of pride that I was able to have such good and fond fellowship with them. When the last member departed, Merly and I sat in one of the gazebos for a short while listening to the kareoke singing then we went to our room.

My first full Biliran Day.

I don't want it to end.

Day 2 Part-A

It was early morning about 430-500Am when I woke up. I could feel the warmth of Merly next to me. She had awakened about the same time as me. We snuggled closer then kissed and hugged as the morning light gradually became brighter. As 7Am approached, we sat up on the edge of the bed, a loud rumbling and shaking occurred for what I guess about 5-8 seconds. On the fourth second, my brain processed we were experiencing an earthquake. Never in a 'zillion' years did I expect to feel an earthquake in the Philippines. When it was over, all I simply did was smile and say "oh Wow!". Reluctantly (not for fear of another quake) we separated to take showers then prepare for church services. While Merly took her shower, I gave consideration of what I would say to Pastor Ronnie's congregation. Back home I had suspected that I would be asked to say a testimony of sorts. Back then, I could dismiss it for later thought. Well, later has arrived and I had given my word I will say something. I chose Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, And He delights in his way. I would speak of how when I finally put my need into God's hands I can trace the path to Merly. Once dressed and looking like the best couple ever, I gave Merly several gifts specifically to her that we had originally planned to ship to her in September. Among the gifts were the burgundy, Fairfield print tee shirt and other shirts of mine she wanted to wear, a pair of shorts, and a Jack Bauer styled shoulder bag. She delightfully accepted each item I presented to her and started transferring some of her items into the Bauerbag. Before leaving the room, another quake shook but not as bad as the previous event.

It was time to go and stepping outside the room I was reminded of the level of humidity in the air. It was not so bad as the previous day; but, enough for me to take notice. Merly and I casually walked to the roadside to wait for the next transportation. A couple motorscooters whizzed by in the opposite direction we wanted. Each time both driver and rider gave Merly and me long curious looks. Obviously it was because I was the foreigner with a local. I had expected such looks and mentally prepared myself for it. I was not bothered in the least for the curious scrutiny. About a minute later, a mid sized bus came along going in our direction. We stepped on and it was filled to the maximum with passengers so we had to stand. It was not so bad to stand near the doorway as I have done countless times before when riding the bus. Again I could sense the curious looks on me. My sunglass clip on lenses to my prescription glasses were dark enough so I could appear to be unaware of being watched. The actual ride to our destination was about three minutes. Merly signaled for our stop and then we hopped off in front of a small group of guys. Once again the curious onlooks of Merly and me. Inside I was giggling like a schoolboy with the latest video game as the curious stares examined us. Merly only acknowledged the looks with a smile then we proceeded across the road to her church: Living Faith Christian Fellowship. We stepped inside for a moment. Merly said something to one of the worship team players, Bengie. They both laughed then Merly redirected us to the house next door. As it turns out the home was of her elder brother Reynelo, his wife Analiza and their youngest daughter Shawe.(Eunice is the elder daughter) Services was not starting for another 30 minutes so we had time to have a small breakfast together and for the family to get to know me. I tried to focus on Merly's conversation with the others so I could learn more words; but, my mind and senses were processing other elements at full speed. Besides the feeling of the level of humidity, the sounds of the roosters was dominate. Being a city person, the rooster calls was fascinating at its most basic. I suppose this is in part of my living with pet birds. The sense of taste for all that has been consumed since the beginning of my travel to Merly has been memorable including this morning. Visually, I felt relaxed, at home and secure. There was never any thought of danger for my safety. In compiling all of the sensory inputs, there were moments which reminded me of what is like to live in my birthplace of Marianna Florida. I have vague memories of visiting when I was a teen. I look at photos from Marianna, I see country architecture and a rural sense. The overall sensations were comforting. My covert precessing of the incoming sensations were interrupted when Merly asked if I was nervous or cold. She and I think her brother had observed the slight trembling in my hands. I felt a hint of embarrassment because they witnessed my tremors. Without looking at them, I replied I was not either cold or nervous. I then explained that it was actually hyperactive nerves ready to take action. The explanation was accepted without further inquiry. That was the only time during my stay with Merly I felt bad about myself.
It was time for Merly and I to saunter our way back to the church. From what I could observe, it appeared to be a small sized building with the other rooms located in back. The sanctuary was about the size of what I would consider an American classroom. I liked the architecture of it being open air. Now windows at all; just wrought iron grating. Merly introduced me to Pastora Genalou. She was quite pleasant and with a massive smile. I was guessing the quick dialog between Merly and Pastora was about me as the both looked into my direction. Merly had the humble approving smile I had started to recognize and Pastora had a different type of approving smile in the kind that Merly had chosen a good man. I quickly learned and accepted this scene would be repeated many more times this week. Merly and I took our seating second row from the front. I never asked if this was her usual place. Not that it actually mattered. Sitting anywhere with Merly is a delight and a growing need as I continue to bond and imprint to her. I watched Merly speak with both Bengie and Pastora Genalou then she casually surveyed the music equipment and looked over the song line up. The Praise and Worship team had arrived at different intervals and began warming up. Since I was sitting in the front rows, I could hear more members of the congregation assemble in and take seats. As curious as I was to see the people, I restrained myself to not intentionally look back. I made a mental note that I would always have some reason other than curiousity to look back; such as a twisting stretch motion at the waist or some other action that would disguise my curiousity. My seating preference is in the back so I can observe congregations and crowds in general without the obvious appearance of staring. Merly came to sit next to me and we made eye contact then smiled. Without any vocal sound, I said the words 'I love you' and she repeated the three words in the same manner. Pastor Ronnie, his wife Pastora Davina and their two daughters arrived. Pastora Davina had taken the first row seats directly in front of Merly and me. Pastor Ronnie shook my hand with great joy and asked again if I would say a few words to the congregation later. I smiled back and said I would. At that moment, I could feel the shyness in crowd sensation starting to build. In my mind's eye I could see a digital stopwatch with the number racing to the moment when I would have to get up in front of the people. I leaned over to Merly and whispered with admission I was already starting to feel nervous. Her reply was of calmness that only she could do and said for me to just say a few words like 'thank you for your prayers on my flight' or something to that affect. Amazing such easy common sense!
The services began with Merly taking position at the side of the podium and took one of the microphones. She quickly turned to the worship team to confirm their readiness then turned back to the congregation. Merly invited the people to stand and begin to sing and worship. For the first time, I was able to actually observe my Merly singing. She would challenge me to say she is not the best singer; but, I would glady argue it. I was totally impressed with her singing ability. I was not a person to be judgemental in this respect since I never thought my voice was good enough to sing. I would have to say the only element I had problem with was the sound level. Three guitars, electric key board, and drumset were more loud than I was used to. I think it was only because of being in a smaller space than what I was used to in my church. Other than that, I had a wonderous time during the worship service.

After the worship, Pastor Ronnie began his portion for the services. He spoke in English for the most part. His segment lasted for about what I guess was 30 minutes then he concluded and prayed. I kept the facial expression suppressed as I tried to comprehend why the services were over so early then I understood. Pastor Ronnie's portion was actually Sunday School. My theory was confirmed as some of the congregation remained in their seats and spoke with others while some of the congregation gathered in groups of two or more. Services began with the worship team once again performed several songs. The next segment was when Pastora Davina did a call for tithe and offerings. Something deep inside me said Pastor Ronnie was going to call on me. Merly had returned to sit next to me and I was still feeling the nervous excitment grow. She was able to read my expression; and without explanation to her, Merly replied that I would be alright. I rolled my eyes and took a quiet deep breath with a smile as my motion to agree with her. I said to her that I was OK enough to have my moment and say what I had planned. Merly smiled approvingly with trust. I returned my focus to Pastor Ronnie. As he spoke to the congregation, I was able to understand some of his words. After enough English words and translated words, I became aware he was introducing me. Now my heart was racing. That sense of nervousness to stand in front of a group of people was flooding me and imobilizing my upper arms. I fought back the sensations as Merly looked to me with a smile of pride. The introductions were done and I stood up and approached Pastor Ronnie and took the microphone. I then stood behind the podium and looked onto the congregation. To be honest, they were all pleasant in appearance and quite welcoming. I tried to suppress any hint of a shaking voice or trembling muscles as best as I could. Once I got started with speaking, I felt slightly better. Even though I knew the theme of my few words, I improvised decently and concluded to the approved smiles of the congregation. I returned the microphone to Pastor Ronnie and sat down next to Merly. I do not recall Pastor Ronnie's sermon. What I do remember is the rain. My attention was distracted to the pattern of rain. At first it came down light then it started to increase. I was observant to the fact the rain was now coming down hard yet it not come inside through the open wrought iron grates. Another element I noticed that the temperature did not feel cold as I had grown up to expect living in northern California. The rains had stopped and the landscape had dried decently long before Pastor Ronnie concluded his sermon. The details of some moments came back as the sermon concluded. I could now recall praying in groups of three and the church wide prayers for one lady that was preparing to begin OFW (Overseas Filipino Workers) in Dubhai. At the end of services, I had the opportunity to meet the congregation and shake hands. Merly had quietly said the next we would do is return to Chamorita and prepare for the church picnic. I stepped outside with Merly and while I crossed the road to get a photo of the church, Merly had arranged for Pastor Ronnie to shuttle some of the youth as well as Merly and I.

Now the congregation will observe Merly and me in a different setting.

Interesting Tidbits

This is the type of 747 I travelled in.
The red dot near the rear of the aircraft designates my seating location to the Philippines. The green dot is my location returning to the United States
Example of my dinner shortly after sfo departure.
Example of breakfast.
Dinner returning to US (without the coffee)

Day 1 Part-D

I would guess about 20 minutes into the flight to Tacloban I finally started to feel drowsy. Again the drone of the aircraft engines were a wordless lullaby. I let myself drift away into dreamless sleep. When I opened my eyes, I could look out the window and see the land, water and cloud formations below us. I always marvelled at such imagery; to be above the clouds. The cabin crew did the usual passing out drinks and snacks. I accepted orange juice to drink and pocketed the snacks into one of the four cargo pockets of my pants. (Cargo pant pockets are the 1st wonder of my world!) I was sitting in the middle seat. The two passengers on both sides of me were reading the newspapers. I caught glimpses of the reports of the Glorietta2 situation and some other items of little interest. My thoughts were increasing as I was flying to Merly. I do not recall time passing either faster or slower; but, the announcement came we were starting our decent from cruising altitude to Tacloban. Months became weeks, weeks became days, days became hours, now I was only minutes away from the lady I had been attracted to for over a year now. I could see out of the window our descent and then we passed through a cloud layer. There was very slight turbulence and once we broke through the layer, the ground was visible again. The one element that struck me both head on and broadsided was how green everything was. I could not remember seeing so much green before. Soon enough, our flight began the final approach to the airport. The aircraft did a banking manuever and I was able to see the land and water better. I thought I was able to ID a small fishing boat. I was able to see residential areas. My impression of what I was seeing was quite favorable. The airport appeared to be small sized; but, large enough to handle domestic traffic daily. I could see tall trees I thought were palm trees. I think they were actually banana trees since I had never seen a live banana tree before. Again the hue of green was drowning. I knew this color element was going to be so welcoming and relaxing. The aircraft was now in position for final approach and I could feel the excitment building again. Within moments we had touched down safely at DZ Romauldez Airport, Tacloban. Again for the third time, I could feel the deacceleration as I was slightly pressed against the seatbelt and hear the roar of the engines change the pitch in sound. The cabin crew gave the arrival speech as the plane made its slow taxi to the terminal. I felt my heart beat above normal. I was starting to feel nervous in my upper arms and shoulders. Was it fatigue or excitement? I did not know or care. I was now minutes and literally several hundred feet away from the most beautiful lady in the known universe. The plane had come to a stop and immediately the passengers rose to exit. Some reached for their baggage in the overhead bins and some pulled from underneath the seat ahead of them. I stood to take my shoulderbag and bigbear from the overhead bin then waited for most of the passengers to exit. I was among the last so I went to the lavatory to change into the sky blue colored shirt Merly and I had decided I would wear on our very first meet. After changing into the short sleeved shirt, I stepped out onto the stairway and felt the humidity again while the temperature was pleasant enough. I felt something on my face and mentally noted that I was already perspiring. When I felt the second sensation, I then realized that it was not perspiration but rather the first drops of rain. I got inside the passenger arrival section just as the rain began to fall just enough to dampen the ground. The baggage claim area was small in comparison to Centennial 2 in Manila. Another element that added slight problem to the claim area was the baggage carousel was still under construction. The baggage was offloaded from the aircraft and brought inside then the skycabs placed them in one section for passenger retrieval. I waited patiently to ID my bag as the skycabs arranged the luggage. Obviously my big black bag was very similar to other bags. Two offloading trips had come and gone and my bag was still not among either batches. A flight from Cebu Pacific Airlines had arrived and the passengers were now filling the claim area to capacity. Once again my baggage was among the last group to be offloaded and brought inside. I was able to recognize it; but because of the amount of people now in the area, it took me about 3 minutes to politely squeeze my way through and hoist up my bag. Now to escape the slow moving mass of bodies took about 2 minutes as I coursed to the nearest exit. Once the security guard confirmed my ownership of my bag, I was free to leave the claim area into the front area of the airport. I was quickly reminded of how heavy my bag was and I should configure it to backpack mode. I found an open spot near the exit and approached it to make the adjustments. As I adjusted the straps, I noticed what I assumed was a mother and adult daughter closely watching my actions. I did not return their stares because I had the attitude that they were simply curious. Just as I was in the process of slinging the bag onto my back and sliding my arms throught, I caught a brief glimpse of Merly. I think she was attepting to catch my attention by waving and smiling while holding her umbrella. I could now hear and feel my pulse in my ears. I got my packbag adjusted on my back then proceeded out among the waited crowd. I saw Merly approach to intercept me the moment I exited the gate to the parking lot. I bit the inner walls of my mouth with the intention I would not be able to smile too much. That effort failed grandly as the moment Merly and I finally met, I handed her bigbear, gave her a hug at the shoulder and an affectionate kiss to her cheek.

First contact was established 16 July 2006
First touch and kiss on 27 October 2007
1 year 3 months 11 days.

In my overwhelming excitement of finally holding and kissing Merly, I have vague memory of being introduced to Pastor Ronnie and his wife Pastora Davina. I can only remember walking and holding Merly as the four of us approached Pastor Ronnie's car. I am now with my Merlywinda was the repeated thought. I could not stop smiling. Pastor Ronnie opened the trunk and I slung my main bag off my back and shoulderbag in. I got into the back seat with Merly then Pastor Ronnie and Davina took their seats in front. The pure joy of being next to Merly was beyond normal description. I felt the exhaustion from little sleep steadily rise and with no intention of stopping regardless of my control. I kept my mind active by observing with all of my senses as much as I was able to. Still my mind was getting mushy both from lack of sleep and the happiness of being next to Merly. I looked intently into her face to rememorize every detail I had fallen in love with from photos and through the webcam. For the first time, I gently reached up then turned her face to me and we kissed. In that moment, time stopped. The world was not my focus. It was only Merly and Me. It felt good; real good. After the kiss, I took her hand and we without looking interlaced our fingers as we held hands. Pastora Davina asked a question I think was how my flight was. My brain now tired defaulted to an American mindset and I spoke in my normal patterns about my experience at sfo. Pastora Davina and Merly smiled and giggled because Pastora's English was not so good and I was for the most part not understood. In that brief and embarrassing moment, I made the conscious effort to alway talk slowly and clearly during my stay. I smiled and apologized for my babbling. Merly and Davina conversed briefly then she asked if I was hungry. I quickly recalled our plan to go to Jollibee's on my arrival so I said yeah I should eat.
We stayed in Tacloban to eat at the local Jollibee's. In the short distance from the airport to Jollibee's the weather changed to moderate drizzle (just not heavy enough for real rain hahaha) Inside the restaurant, Pastor Ronnie went to select seats, Pastora Davina gave their choices then Merly and I went to the counter to place the order. Surreptitiously, I handed Merly the Pesos I had exchanged for in Manila. I was amazed that she received it just as stealthily and placed it in her purse. After a few minutes of decisions, our order was placed and I took the food tray while Merly took the drinks then we made our way to Pastor Ronnie. I sat next to Pastor Ronnie opposite to Merly so I could enjoy gazing at such beauty while at eat. We said grace for our meal then began. I was thinking of all the previous times Merly and I had eaten together while chatting. Now I am eating with her live and direct. It simply felt so good to be with her. The conversation started about from where I was from and my age. When Pastor Ronnie realized I was from California, he asked (as did ate Loly in Manila) if I was affected by the wildfires. I responded with a very basic geography lesson about where Fairfield was in relation to the fires. I could see both understanding and relief in their expressions. When they were made aware of my age of 44, they seemed so suprised in commenting that I appeared to them as to be in my mid 30s. This observation would be replayed for the duration of my visit. Eating and smalltalk continued then it was time to begin the three hour drive to Naval. Everyone got up and proceeded to leave; but out of habit, I began to bus our table. Merly kept calling for me to follow and once I had the table somewhat cleaned up, I followed along. One of the most significant observations I was able to take notice of was the traffic and driving techniques. I would have to say that element was the real and only culture shock I allowed myself to experience. The driving practice of overtaking a slower vehicle is common and most expected since most streets are one lane each way. Just blow the horn to let the slower vechicle or pedestrian of your approach and intention. What I found strange is that even though this driving technique is foreign to me, I had become relaxed enough to allow myself to take a brief nap during the drive. I was still excited about the the previous 17 hours and I wanted to observe everything possible with all my senses. As much as I wanted to stay awake, I felt my body starting to shut down to rest. My stomach was full enough, I was now next to my most precious lady and holding her hand. I teased her to ask if she was ready to give bigbear back. Her response was cute in that she squeezed tighter and pulled bigbear away from any potential grabs by me.
I honestly do not recall the drive to Naval taking 2-3 hours. I can remember moments of certain locations and the abundance of green. Either I had fallen asleep for part of the drive or my being with Merly altered my sense of time. I would prefer to choose the combination of both. Eventually, we arrived to Chamorita beach resort; Merly & Mine's home for the next 10 days. As I offloaded my gear from the trunk of the car, Pastor Ronnie asked if I would say a few words to the congregation during church services. I reluctantly agreed. I am not a pastor and I get real nervous speaking. Well God guided me to Merly, provided safe flight to the Philippines, safe flight and road travel to Chamorita so I can trust Him to give the the heart and mine of what to say. Merly and I thanked them for coming to getting me at the airport then she and I went to our room. Psychologically and physically I was now operating on reserve power and it was nearly drained. I had enough mind to take the first few photos of Merly and me outside our room but my tired muscles shook enough to cause blurry images. I plopped myself on the bed and Merly layed down beside me. Just before I went into total shutdown to get some sleep, we kissed then everything was a dreamless sleep. I seem to think there was a moment when Merly stepped outside. I just don't know and did not fully care. I trusted and loved her and continued my dreamless sleep. I woke up to Merly coming to lay down next to me. She was watching me sleep. She also came to inform me that her mother, elder sister Nida and her husband Ondo had come to Chamorita to meet me. That statement awakened me to full consciousness. After a quick kiss, I changed into a fresh shirt and pants and went out to meet them. We walked to the beachfront bungalows and I was able to now meet nanay Lucena Machete after a few times of speaking on the phone and a couple of webcam meets. It was another special treat to meet her in person. Merly's elder sister Nida was another I was pleased to meet. I had the opportunity to provide som assistance to her a few months earlier and I also had a brief glimpse of her by webcam. Now I had the joy to meet her live. Nida's husband Ondo was very pleasant to meet. I had gifts of appreciation; a pair of earings and necklace set for Nanay and Nida and a sportswatch for Ondo, and passed them out. Merly helped me with the gift selections. The conversation among Merly, Nanay Lucena and Nida was fast. Even though I listened carefully, I was only able to understand a few words. The sequence pattern was Merly would converse then she would translate for me. The reoccuring comment was about me. Both Nanay Lucena and ate Nida would make comments of how much a gentleman I was and handsome in their judgements. I can only guess that I would blush when hearing such compliments. I have rarely been complimented as enthusiastically. It was something I would have to accept and get used very quickly. I would reply to the compliments with Maraming salamat po. They smiled and laughed at my efforts and seemed rather pleased. It was soon time they had to leave and we separated for the evening. It had been a few hours since eating at Jollibee's so Merly ordered pancit and fried chicken. As we waited for the food to arrive, I met and chatted with the manager. Another man joined in our conversation and I learned he was from Central California. It was interesting to speak to another Californian who had made Biliran his home. Both did ask my reasons for the visit and I honestly replied to see Merly and the Machete family. They welcomed me to the Philippines and specifically to Biliran. The food was served and Merly and I began to eat. The food was simply good and filling. After eating Merly and I strolled back to our room listening to the kareoke session.

Once inside our room, I lounged on the bed for a bit of Tv and Merly layed with me. I could feel the exhaustion take full effect on me. I was beyond tired. I needed to get some sleep so I could be ready to attend church service in the morning. I pulled Merly closer to me and hugged her tightly. I looked into her beautiful eyes and said how happy I was to be with her. She smiled back and shared the exact same sentiments. We kissed and prepared to sleep.

It has been a long day. It has been so worth the journey. I have never ever been this happy. I am so blessed and grateful to belong to Merlywinda. I said my prayers of thanks for the safe flight and went to sleep next to the most beautiful lady in the known universe.

Day 1 Part-C

I don't know how close we were to the International Date line before I fell asleep. I had really wanted to stay awake for the crossing. Perhaps I can do so on my retun flight. We had crossed into Saturday morning. I like to amuse myself to say when Merly and I communicate, she is talking into the past whereas I am talking into the future. When I departed san francisco Thursday evening, it was already Friday evening Manila time. So by crossing the dateline, we jumped from Thurday evening to Saturday morning. At least that is how I understand it. What woke me was an announcement from the cabin crew of some kind of medical emergency and asked the passengers if a doctor was on board. My immediate thought of how many times I have watched this scenario of an in flight emergency and an announcement if a doctor was on board. My mind began forming my own scenarios of which some kind of thriller was unfolding. By this time into the flight, I had to stand up and stretch the legs abit. I had taken off my shoes and wiggled my toes. My goodness that simple wiggle action was so enjoyable! I walked to the back of the cabin, did a couple bends at the waist then returned to my seat just in time for the third movie Your Mom is Cute starring Ai Ai delas Alas and Anne Curtis. Even though it was partially subtitled, I was still able to understand some of the Tagalog. I wonder how long it will be until I can have a decent conversation in Tagalog. I am grateful of my knowledge to this point. I am certain Merly is proud of my efforts to know and use the language and I will be a pleasant surprise to the people when I demonstate some of the customs and courtesies.

Even though there were moments when I fell asleep, I was able to follow the movie well enough to know what was going on. From my perspective I only blinked; but, I suspect reality says I was asleep several mintues at a time. When the movie concluded, we were close to landing in Guam for what is called a technical stop. I think the definition meant refueling. The landing in Guam was about 330am local time. Another approximate 2.5 hours of flight time to Manila. The technical stop lasted almost an hour then we were back into the air. I gazed at the GPS data and noted Im getting closer to my Merly. Just a few more hours and I will meet her finally. I snuggled in my blanket as the in flight movie Evan Almighty was repeated. This time I watched and listened. As it turned out, the movie was quite entertaining. I was suspicious of the movie because I did not bother to see the first movie Bruce Almighty starring Jim Carry as I am not totally impressed with him.
After the movie, breakfast of rice, scrambled egg, sausage, bread roll fruit chunks and juice was served. Again I noted how good the meal was. I also noted that my approval may have been because I was more ready to eat than I would actually admit. My hunger was appeased. Again we encountered some turbulence (2nd or 3rd time) and for the moment, it was very bouncy. I was wondering what the situation was for the flightcrew in the cockpit. For a moment I imagined this aircraft was a starship and the turbulent shaking was actually the result of phaser power impacting our protective shields. It was an amusing thought and I dismissed it as the wallscreen displayed the latest GPS data as we approached Manila. It was this time I put my shoes back on and felt a sense of excitement as we were in Philippine airspace. Soon enough, we were making our decent from 38000 feet and making final approach. Being on the aisle seat of the middle section I was able to see some of Manila as we made our approach to our designated runway. I was not able to see much so I could not make an accurate assessment of my thoughts of actually seeing a foreign country. I mostly kept my attention to the GPS data as the altitude, speed decreased then I felt the touchdown of the aircraft tires and the roar of the engines as the crew began braking procedures.
From what I could observe of the weather from my view, it seemed overcast. My experience could only tell me overcast usually meant cool weather. That chain of neural pathways was about to have a new experience. As the aircraft taxied to the designated gate, the senior cabin crew came on the PA system and said the standard announcements of passenger information in both English and Tagalog. Finally, after approximately 15 hours of flight time I was in the Philippines. It took about 10 minutes to disembark from the aircraft and I followed the other passengers to customs and immigration. The first thing I noticed when I got the the customs area was the warmer temperature. That was expected and not so much a shock. I stood in line and it took about 10-15 minutes before I finally reached the agent. While I waited in line, I observed about 100+ people waiting, smiling and waving to the passengers getting processed with customs. I had already spoken with Merly that her elder sister Loly, elder brother William and niece Eunice would meet me; but, there was part of me if Eunice would recall what I looked liked. My other concern was if I would be able to recognize any of them. My time in line came so I presented my passport and after examination, he stamped it and I was allowed to pass through. I was now officially-legally in the Philippines. I proceeded to the baggage claim carousel to find it already full in progress and a good sized crowd surrounding the carousel. I stood waiting for my bag to appear and noticed that some baggages were making their third and fourth circuit on the track. The flashing thoughts of my bag being lost was growing yet I refused to let the thought take root in my mind. I reminded myself that my gear was among the other 350+ passengers that flew with me. What I need to do is demonstrate that sense of patience I have established my personality with. I took a slow deep breath and watched as more baggage appeared on the carousel. On a couple of ocassions, I assisted some ladies to retrieve their oversized and heavy luggage off the carousel track. Again my thoughts of how to contact Merly now I landed and passed through customs. How would ate Loly, kuya William and Eunice find me? I redirected my attention to spotting my bag and noticed some items making their fourth and fifth circuits. I would guess my actually wait time was about fifteen minutes. It did feel much longer in consideration I was with the mindset of someone was waiting for me. Then my bag appeared on the carousel track. I felt a sense of both amusement and relief for its appearance. Amused because I was not exercising my sense of patience and relieved it was not lost and on its way to Canada or Spain hahahahahahah. I grabbed the bag off the track and adjusted the straps to configure it to Backpack mode and slung it on. I noticed an elderly lady watching me make the strap configuration then hoist the bag on. I smiled then walked away to my final security check to verify my baggage claim. Once my bag matched my ticket, I asked the agent where the currency exchange was located and he redirected me to the correct direction. I replied thank you in Tagalog; Maraming Salamat Po and he smiled back. While in line, my bag was getting heavy so I took it off and slid it along with me. Without my asking, a young man wearing staff clothing and had his ID draped around his neck took my bag and placed it with others he was guarding. Again I said Salamat and he had a bright smile response then quickly resumed his serious manner. I was now one person away from making my exchange transaction. The man ahead of me was carrying I think about 3000 USD. Each bill had to be inspected for authenticity a few times. The entire transaction took about 5-7 minutes. As I watched the transaction I kept thinking perhaps I will should increase my amount to convert. I actually ended up converting 225 USD for now. I would let Merly hold the pesos and manage the spending. I trusted her without any reservation. After my transaction, I retrieved my bag and again thanked the man guarding the bags. I passed through the last security point into the Philippine air and was smacked from all sides of the humidity. The moment reminded me of the humidity encounter when I was a teenager in Florida when I stepped off the plane onto the stairwell. I had prepared myself for the increased heat; but, the humidity was still a foreign concept. My body is adapted to the dry heat of California. I had thought about making a call to Merly then realized my cellphone is both out of power and no longer in service range. I had a sense this would happen yet I brought the phone if only to show Merly what my cellphone looks like and how it functions. One of the airport staff saw me momentarily studying the payphone bay. He inquired if I was alright. I explained I was actually waiting for my family and he indicated that people usually wait in the direction he pointed to. I decided to follow his advice and slung my bag onto my back and follow some of the other passengers to the waiting crowd. As I approached the crowd, I observed some were shouting names and others were holding large white cards with names written boldly on them. I was actually stunned to see my name AL LOVETT on one of the cards and I locked onto it and saw it my ate Loly holding the card and waving and smiling. Eunice was texting her cellphone to Merly that contact was established and kuya William was smiling as well. I reached across the security gate to hold Loly's hand and called her name. Loly responded with 'God Bless you' and I greeted Eunice and William. I separated from them and proceeded to the passenger exit on the sidewalk. I restrained myself from displaying too much emotion. Loly and Eunice arrived and I gave each a hug. William had disappeared elsewhere and would meet with us eventually. A momentary thought flashed in my mind in that I was hugging my family; not friends. Loly indicated she had my reservation papers for my domestic flight to Tacloban. I was stunned to notice from the time I stepped outside to the moment Loly, Eunice and I were together, my shirt was already damp on the underarms and where the shoulder straps were. I assumed my back was damp also. Ate Loly asked on of the security which direction domestic flights were and if at all possible they could stay with me since this was my very first time to the Philippines. The guard gave directions but he could not make the final decision about they accompaniment. The domestic terminal was no more than five minutes walking distance. As we approached, Eunice called Merly and I was allowed to speak with her. I could only imagine her beautiful face grinning without control and feeling so excited. She giggled then said 'Welcome to the Philippines' and we spoke a minute longer then disconnected. The three of us arrived to the domestic area gate. Loly spoke to the guard and explain out situation. At first the guard was hesitant then he gave permission for Loly and Eunice to sit with me since I had a three hour wait. The first activity I wanted and needed to do was to change out of my shirt. It was damp enough to be icky all over. With a fresh shirt on I returned to Loly and Eunice. They were concerened for me as they listened to the news about the southern California wildfires. I explained my geographical location in regards to the fires and I could sense the relief from Loly. Another topic of discussion was my intentions with Merly. I explained proudly I will first ask permission from the parents to have Merly's hand to marry then I will officially ask her. (even though for the last several months Merly and I have called each other husband and wife to each other) Loly mentioned with pride that Merly graduated with honors. I was aware of Merly's graduation but I received it with happiness as I thought to myself she is a smart lady despite her unassuming insistence. William finally arrived and after a brief explanation to indicate he was with us, he was allowed to pass through.The time had arrived to allow only ticketed passengers further into the terminal. I waited to the last possible moment to stay with Loly, William and Eunice then I shouldered my bag and proceeded inside.
I went through the standard security checks as I did in san francisco of removing the shoes, belt and anything that could alert the sensors. I was also thoroughly padded down. Again big bear was touched by a couple of the male security guards with a grin. One of them asked if it was for my sweetie. I smiled and responded oh yeah... All three of us had the universal guy smile on. After redressing, I went to the ticket counter to get my boarding pass. I was in line for about 10 minutes then it was my turn. The transaction was simple and straightforward then I went to the next area of the passenger waiting. I found my departure gate and located a seat to wait for the next hour. My thoughts were mixed of how far I have travelled and how close I was to Merly. In less than two hours I will be holding my lady. The PA system announced my flight number and departure gate was preparing to accept passengers. I secured my shoulder bag and grabbed big bear and followed the other passengers into line. Boarding the plane was different this time. We took a shuttle bus from the terminal to the waiting plane. The second I stepped off the bus, I could again feel the humidity. I think I mentally adjusted to always expect humidity during my stay as this time it was nothing to give further thought to. I climbed the stairs into the aircraft and found my seat. About 15 minutes later, I was in the air cruising just 1 hour away from my Merlywinda.

Day 1 Part-B

As Flt105 continued to climb into the night sky, I slowly settled into my seat finding the most comfortable position. My thoughts were racing of Merly such as the first time I saw her photo, her first response to my introduction email, first webcam chat, first phonecall, etc... I honestly never felt this way for any other person. There are many elements about her that I find so addictively attractive about her. All I know is that Merly is the only lady I have chosen to have children and grow old with. There are not enough days in a lifetime to express my love and gratitude to her for accepting me. The same can be said equally of her family and friends. They have all accepted me so warmly; yet, never have met in person yet. Bestowing that level of courtesy imprints on me a sense of loyalty that can not be easily dissolved.

We finally reached the intened cruising altitude of 36000 feet at about 550 MPH and I was able to equalize the pressure on my ears.(I never mastered the yawning technique to equalize; but instead, the nose holding and blow method.) One of the most interesting elements of the flight was the 48 inch flat screen mounted on the wall section directly in front of my row. I assumed correctly the flatscreen was for the inflight movies and other visual entertainments; but what totally caought me by surprise was the GPS status of our location. The GPS data consisted of the local times from departure city and target city, airspeed in both MPH & KPH, distance to tavel in both miles and kilometres, outside temperature, and ETA to target city. The data updated every 10 minutes so I intended to stay awake to watch the progress across the Pacific Ocean to Guam. Since I rarely travelled, I was unprepared of how long it would actually take to fly from san francisco to Hawaii of a few hours. Understand I was not bothered; simply unprepared. The first in flight movie Live Free or Die Hard (the fourth Die Hard movie)began and the flight crew began serving the late night meal to the passengers. Even though I had not actually eaten all day, I was still mentally saying I was not hungry. My stomach had other intentions. The scent of the food was enough to convince me to eat. Again using the excuse of not flying in over ten years, I thought the meal consisting of rice, vegetables, chicken, bread roll was most decent. The portions were filling and I was satisfied when I finished eating. Once the food trays were removed, I tucked myself under my blanket and continued to watch the movie. I found myself starting to get sleepy; but, still had enough excitement to stay awake. Another moment to keep me awake was the turbulence we encountered about two hours into the flight. The bouncing was slight then it increased intensity to double in approximately under 2 minutes. I do not recall feeling anxious because of the bouncing; but instead, I made myself more aware of the turbulence and continued to watch the movie. Within moments, I was unaware the turbulence had ended.
I think it was about the time when the movie ended did I feel my body relaxed enough to get some rest (if not actual sleep) The GPS updates began for a few minutes and the next movie Evan Almighty began. I was not too interested to watch it, so I switched to another channel and listened to some music. I found myself listening to one channel that was giving some kind of Michael Jackson tribute by playing several of his top hits. Although my respect for Michael has dropped significantly in the recent past, I was reluctantly listening to some of his hits. I was mentally recalling the moments when a certain song had a personal imprinting on my life. I was finding it interesting that while I was listening to Michael Jackson; I was to some level, still watching the Evan Almighty movie and making weak and distorted attempts to lip read. I was finally drifting to sleep. Somewhere in my mind I wanted to stay awake so I could witness the crossing of the International date line.

Between listening to Michael Jackson and watching Evan Almighty at the same time, I was surprised how awake I was. I do recall having moments when I dozed off to sleep; but, I think it was for only a few minutes at the most. When the movie ended, the GPS updates resumed and we were very close to the International Date Line. The best description I can give about waiting to cross it would be the same as a kid trying to stay awake to witness Santa coming with the presents. There was something magical about crossing the line since most people will never experience it. I focused on myself and mentally noted how tired I was becoming. The GPS data was not making too much sense. The dim lighting in the cabin had become relaxing and the drone of the four 747-400 engines were singing a wordless lullaby and I closed my eyes.
There would be no mental celebration of crossing the International Date Line. I had fallen asleep long enough to miss it.