Will you marry me?

Sunday marks an important day for Filipinos. It is a day for rest and family. But, this Sunday was a special one. My auntie got engaged.

During lunch, we sat on a long table filled with endless foods: Filipino chicken, crispy pata, lumpia, fish, rice, and turon. While everyone exchanged conversations, I just focused on the food; there is no food like home.

Can you name all the foods?

By the end of lunch, my cousins and I got on the ATV, while everyone else talked on the long table. It was exhilarating to ride a vehicle especially since I’ve never ridden anything before. It felt tempting to fully accelerate and ride with the wind. But, it’s better to be safe than sorry right? Plus, I was riding with little Gabbie.

First-time riding an ATV with little Gabbie

The resort was gorgeous and the air extremely refreshing. The pear-shaped pool was the perfect shade of blue. It’s like being in a place where you cannot think of your problems at all. By the time we got off the ATV, my aunts and uncles still sat and talked on the long table. Later on, I found out that Tito Ian was asking for my grandma’s blessing for him to marry my aunt.

How can you think of your problems in this place?

Witnessing my uncle ask for a blessing made me proud of my culture. In Filipino culture, when two people marry each other, it is a unity between two families. The husband just doesn’t know his wife, but he also knows her parents, siblings, in-laws, friends of the siblings, nephews, nieces, literally everyone. That’s why Filipino parties are so big because somehow someone connects everyone.

We stayed at the resort for a good 5-6 hours. By the time we left, it was almost dinnertime. I guess I now understand why I lose track of time whenever I’m with my friends. It is because I see that in my family and I adapt that in my everyday life.  Personally, I hate being aware of the time when I’m out with my family and friends. It takes away from the meaningful conversations like the one’s on the long dinner table.

Our next destination was the Sorsogon Pier. We took an incredible amount of photos by the statues (we spent more time doing that rather than sightseeing). I’m just glad I got sago, but I wished I also got balut. I can’t regret much because our dinner was just as big as our lunch.

Cheesin' real hard with the cuzzos

Sago

We headed to Tito Ed’s house and his house felt like a mansion. On their living room, he had a photo of his wife included with a lovely poem. Filipinos are such romantic people.

The dinner, specifically the crab, reminded me a lot of our family get-togethers when I was younger. I remembered always going for the crab whenever it was available; it tasted just like before. Even though we get older, there are certain foods that bring us back to our childhood. That crab was that food for me.

Yummy  #1

Yummy  #2

Yummy  #3

By the end of dinner, Tito G made an announcement for everyone to direct our attention to Tito Ian and Ninang. This was it. Tito Ian was going to formally propose in front all of us. On his first attempt, my uncles and aunt burst into laughter. They were playing with Tito Ian and giving him a harder time. Then, he tried again. This time, he got on his knees, looked at my aunt and asked, "Even though I do not have a ring, what I will say is worth more than diamonds. Will you marry me?" We listened intently until Ninang gave her joyful yes, and we broke into more laughter. You could see the sweat dropping from Tito Ian’s head. He was beyond nervous, but he did it. June 17, 2017, mark our calendars for their wedding.

Congrats Ninang & Tito Ian!