Caroleen’s Treasures

My mom died of cancer of the gallbladder alomst two years ago and I remember how I took the news. She had cancer of the gallbladder. Of all places, in the gallbladder? When I was still 6 or 7, a co-teacher of my mom died of breast cancer. It was like having the rarest illness before. But as time passess by, cancer grew more and more like a national language to me. Everywhere I went I hear people with cancer. In th breast, on the lungs, brain and even nose. Then there’s a friend on the net with mesothelioma, a cancer that is triggered by exposure to asbestos. She might have got it while working in a laundry service center. Cancer runs in our blood since my mom had it. I just hope no one in my family will have the same ordeal.

Drug abuse are having more and more effect on society today. Here and there we watch horrible news on tv about theft, hold up, rape and murder which are all due to this addiction. To my opinion, this will not come to this worst scenario when families of these drug users will find drug treatment center for them to be able to get out with the addiction. Some families are just lucky enough to have all the funds needed to pay for the cost. I just hope the Government will have a free program which caters to this need.

When I was still in high school and college, I loved collecting logo pens from different events, schools, companies and others. I didn’t use them and kept it in a box where letters, bottle crowns, stone, twigs, pictures and other stuffs that I don’t know why I haven’t had any will power to throw. I was trying to figure out where have I put those. Since I gave birth, I had a hard time remembering things. It was just last year when we are packing our things for a move (yes we are moving here and there)that I found those pens. I am so glad I found it and been safe in a separate shoe box since then.

I was thinking of my mother’s death anniversary coming up. This will be another great time to spend with realtives especially with cousins and their kids of different age, sizes, colors, hair and skin. We are a big clan, I have 10 sets of Uncles and Aunties. I have cousins who grew big while pregnant and never gained back their old figure. There were also, like my sister Crislyn, never grew tall. There are different things everyone complained about. Mine was the battle to gain weight even just 2 lbs. There were curly hairs that needs straightening and faces that needs acne treatment. Wish we could get home by then. Been looking forward for this reunion for so long.

This will be a very long shot. We finally made it to the province!!!! We moved here last Friday (May 2) and I just had my internet connection this afternoon. For some who have with me from the birth of my blog, this is our plan that has been postponed several times. And I was just so happy that a friend and a hero helped us to move. So Donald and I still couldn’t believe we are already here LOL

The day before the move, Ella told us that her girlfriends are going home to their province too. They are just there in the city to visit their father who works as a security guard. So I thought this is just the right time to give the girls some stuffed toys from our store. Ella excitedly called them and gave them the plastic bag of toys. I heard a shy “Salamat” (Thank you) from them while they looked at it in surprise.

The following day, Donald said the truck will be coming at around 9:30am. So he made a quick trip to the bank to deposit our payment for my computer. When he got back, he packed my computer and everything that goes with it. I’d like Ella take a longer sleep but had to wake her up to say bye-bye to her friends. First she did was to hug and talk to the dogs. She was whispering something to them while stroking their fur. Then she called her friends, they played for a little while. The girls mother was there too, thanked me for the toys. When the mother went home, I called Ella in to take a bath. She was just so sweet telling her Tita Crislyn to bathe her because she never did it to her since. She was saying “Sige na Tita, liguin mo ako…kasi ‘di mo pa ako naliligo…” (Come on Tita, bathe me…you never did this to me since).

Donald and the truck went first to our little house beside my parent’s in law. They hauled our things there and went to my sister’s parent’s-in-laws place to get the rest. Ella was happy and smiling while waving goodbye to my sisters and to her friends. She sat on the rear seat of the truck, when I turned to look at her, she was silently in tears. I cuddled her and asked her why she’s crying. She said she will be missing her tita’s, tito, lolo tony and lola carmen, the dogs and her friends….to make the move easier for her I decided to show her the package that arrived from the states just minutes before we left the city. A pack of stickers, my scene doll and another activity toy for her birthday.

It rained in the city but it has just rain showers along the way. We managed to reach Trento safely. We unloaded the things, good that there are neighbors who helped us It was 5pm when we arrived at the parsonage, so we had no time to rest. We went to the market to have early dinner since we can’t cook right then and there. Then I went to check mails at an internet cafe while Donald went to buy candles. The neighbor told us beforehand that the restrooms had no lights working. When we went back from the market, first we did was to clean the room where we will be sleeping. We took the old bed and repalced it with our twin bed with pull-out. The floor is narra wood tiles that has been unkept for long months. People get in and out with their muddy slippers so I had to really scrape the floor clean. After all has been set in the room, the lights went off. A power black out that lasted for 20 long hours. Good that it is cold here so Ella can sleep without fan.

We had a very funny first night here. While we are lying in bed, with mosquito coil and candle on the floor (the house was not screened and we forgot to bring mosquito nets!) a bug came buzzing in. I was hoping it would find its way out, but of course, with the lit canlde…it stayed here in the room and kept buzzing around. Doanld stood up and caught it with his shirt, he threw it outide the window and laid back. Minutes later, the same sound was heard! It was buzzing again and we can’t stand the noise. So Donald get it for the second time and I told him to put it on the candle. He was like “I don’t want to kill…” So I said “Okay, drop it in the chamber pot.” And the poor bug was drowned. We actually had drowned two bugs that night. LOL The parsonage had no restroom yet, so we have to use the restrooms at the back of the chapel 50 meters from the house. At night it will be too unconvenient to go there just to pee, so we have to use chamber pot especially for Ella which is also good for the bugs. LOL

Saturday was a good day. Two neighbors came to help us clean the floor. We mopped it and scrub it before spreading it with wax. We had brought two large containers of used clothes that was from our store which they happily dug after cleaning. I went to check mails in the market again in the afternoon. It was already dark when I reached home. We had dinner on the large (extra large I mean) table that was the only furniture in the parsonage aside from the two bunk beds and 1 twin bed. I was feeling so pissed during our first night here when I discovered that Ella’s mini plastic table had flown off the truck. What was left was the chair and its one leg. That table was Ella’s table since she was 1 and she always wiped it clean with alcohol. She ate in it, did her assignments in it, I also used it too…I used to put my sewing machine and edger there since we don’t have any tabel in our old little house. We ate in it too! There’s so much memories of that table. So now Ella will have to sit on my computer chair so she can reach the big table.

Sunday, we rose early for the Sunday service. Donald delivered the message and I taught Children’s class. Ella was like “Teacher….can we have a snack now?” When we have just started the class! LOL I prepared snack for them, since we have not talked about the budget on snacks for the kids when we arrived, I took Ella’s cookies and her juice which she gladly shared with othe kids. She even took the bananas from our table and shared it with the kids too! I asked her the night before if she could let other kids use her crayons, she agreed smilingly.

My antenna for the internet connection was installed in the afternoon. Donald had gone to their office last Saturday to apply and pay for it. I checked mails in the market again and bought 2 small milkfish for dinner. We have to buy just for the day sicne we don’t have fridge. And oh the water is smelly, though it is potable. It must have been due to the pipe that has been dug deep in the dirt. We have water pump here, so when we have power interruption…we don’t have water as well. At 3pm we had another power interruption and yes, you guessed it right. It was a 20-hour black out again. I was telling to Ella, “Is it okay with you that we are having black outs?”…She answered YES and I wonder why, since she can’t stand black outs before! I asked her why, the answer was, “So that YOU will get used to it.” LOL

Monday. When the power went back at 11am, I dressed to check my mails. As I stepped outside the gate, I saw this little boy (son of the woman who helped us clean the house) on the road. He was eating something, at a distance I can’t see what was it…I just smiled and asked where he’s been. He asnwered in his little voice that he was from her grandmother’s house. When I got near him, I saw a piece of dried fish tucked on his rear pocket! I asked him where the fish came from, he said from her grandmother’s. I said, “You didn’t asked permission to get it, don’t you?” He nodded. And I smiled in disbelief how this little boy found dried fish so appetizing…he must have been so hungry so I sent him to the house to tell Uncle Donald he was hungry. When I got back, I asked Donald if the boy went here, he said “Yes, I called him because he was swimming on the ditch infront of the house.” Silly little boy! There was a large hole made by the trucks passing by here, when it rained the hole will be filled with water. This is where he swam pretending it was a swimming pool.

We drowned two bugs again last night.

Tuesday. I had my internet connection now!!! Yipey!!! In the morning Donald went to uproot weeds while I did the laundry. I soaked it the other night so I did it in just a short time. Donald helped me on the clothes line. Ella was playing with the kids