A Mini Diary

It was a rather damp morning of July 14, 2012. The grounds imbibed a good amount of water from the rains that fell at predawn, before the roosters started crowing.  It was 1:45 AM, as I glanced at my cell phone-cum-watch.  I heard the raindrops rushing through the gutters. And I was already up, thanks to the jet lag as I have just arrived here in the Philippines. 

At least two major activities were lined up on this second day of our visit to my in-laws in Mainit, Surigao del Norte. At first, I thought the predawn dumping of rains could’ve changed today’s retinue, I was wrong.  We went ahead with our practice shooting in the makeshift firing range. I was a little scared and apprehensive at the get-go as this was my first time ever to hold and, much more,  fire a 9mm caliber pistol. The only instance I held a gun was back to the ROTC days in college when we had to assemble and disassemble a Garand rifle as part of the ‘baby’ military training. And that was three decades ago! Also, this day was going to be my first to hear a gun shot at a very close range. Silly, it may seem! Of course, I heard guns shots before, in the hinterlands around the MSU-Marawi campus, way back then.

Then, there was a brief overview about gun handling. Next time I knew, I was already handling a fully loaded, aiming the target dummies and plates, then shoot! The gun shot sounds were quite loud, though. If only, I should’ve worn a soundproof earphone. I fired 45 bullets total, hitting a couple of plates and piercing through the dummies. Firing a gun was not that scary after all.

Next thing in our to-do list for the day, trip to the islands off Claver, Surigao del Norte. Actually, it was an overnight stay in the Bucas Grande Island, in the township of Soccoro (Surigao del Norte). It took a little over an hour to get to Hayanggabon, a village in Claver where the pump boat was waiting to ferry our contingent to the island.  The otherwise smooth drive was interrupted by short stretches of roads that were still under construction. At times, the road seemed slippery as paste of mud covered the roads especially in the areas with active mining activity. The same mud paste repainted the vehicles we took mud brown!

I learned from elementary social studies class, way back when, that nickel, gold and chromite mining is a major industry in the province of Surigao del Norte. Apparently, ‘massive’ mining activities are currently underway in various areas in the province. On our way to Hayanggabon, one can easily see some mountain tops shaved off and leveled flat because of on-going open pit mining. Dirt joins the cloud reminding me of the ash fall during the days when Mount Pinatubo erupted in 1991, only on a miniscule scale! Dirt eroded by running water, settled in the road pavement and formed the mud paste.

 

 

Then, a motorized (pump) boat brought us sailing, navigating  through a mystical maze-like string of islands  seemingly floating on calm waters. The ride to the islands was smooth. Excitement mounted as we looked closely and took pictures (for some of us) as we passed by one island after another. The islands were beautifully crowned with lush verdant vegetation seemingly untouched by human cruelty. For a nature lover, these islands surrounded with fine white sandy shoreline are a good eye candy! We got to enjoy more of the islands when we hopped from one island to another, set our foot on the sandy shores and dipped in the crystal clear waters. 

This trip has not quite made me less of a stranger to my own country. For there are still a lot of beautiful places one can find only in the Philippines, places that I have never been yet, and hopefully, getting into these places will be part of the itinerary in my next visit. Wishful thinking!

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We were indebted to Cesar and Helen Mozar for this  nice trip treat!

Becoming A US Citizen: Life's New Milestone

Who would've thought I get this far? Nobody. Not me! Not even in my farthest dreams. For there were no dreams on the first place. Not luck, either, for I don't believe in luck. It is, I believed, serendipity. While drifting into life's infinite expanse of the unknown future, I just seized any oppportunity that came my way. Hard work, lots of it. Untiring resilience, to dust off when things get a nosedive. And support from my family and friends. All these helped me make it through.. milestone after milestone, one milestone at a time!

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Roughly 13 years and 3 months ago, I turned my life away from comfort and convenience, moved halfway around the globe, took the risk and explored the maze into the unknown future in the enticing new world of Uncle Sam. The decision, not an easy one,  came after a careful balance of fears and apprehensions cloaked with the uncertainties of the future and clouded with the emotional toll with the severance of constant family physical contacts against the perks of better and brighter opportunities enjoyed by those who came before us and longed and dreamed by many. A job opportunity presented before me came in a silver platter. I did not apply for it, no interview and I did not have to compete with a horde  of US-trained PhD graduates. It was a total departure from the US'  'equal opportunity' policy in the hiring process. Mine was special. The persuasive power of this once-in-a lifetime opportunity sent me packing.  September 3, 1999, I took off as an exchange scientist (on exchange VISA) with the anticipation that my family would join me soon after classes end in March 2000. 

Navigating through the unfamiliar waters in this new-found-land did not come easy. The daily grind seemed almost always a challenge at the get go.  But the company of fellow expats, who came long before us, provided with some comfort and guidance, making life transition a little less difficult. Soon enough, we began to adopt the kind of life, a little different from what we left behind. Our kids loved the school system, the way they were treated, embraced by their fellow students, and the welcoming acceptance they experienced regardless of who they are and where they come gave them the feeling they 'belong' here. 

Just as the resemblance of a new life's normalcy in our family started to take roots, the 'catch' attached to an exchange VISA, which did not matter to me at the start, presented itself. Nearing the end of my third year in the job (August 2002), we started to pack up again, homeward bound (back to the Philippines), in compliance with  the stipulated exchange VISA holders requirement to 'render a two-year service to their home country'. We were all set to go, shipped some  stuff  through balikbayan boxes, reserved one-way tickets, and wife submitted her work resignation. There was one thing left undone, the send-off or despedida party, which normally is held few days prior to departure. Then, suddenly events took an unexpected twist. On advise of friends who were once on our predicament, we managed to extend our stay in the US.Whoa!

December 5, 2012. Today highlights a new milestone in mine and my wife's lives as we take the oath of citizenship to this great country, the United States of America. Our children took theirs earlier. Looking back to the journey which brings us to this day, it was long, complicated and  at a cost. Brick walls were torn down and legal entanglements   ironed out, of course coming at a hefty price. The great consolation, though, came through the support of previous employers who believed in our potentials to contribute to the betterment of this country, in our own unique ways.

This day brings me mixed feelings. Sad seasoned with some guilt as I shed off my Filipino citizenship while at the same time, glad and excited as I put on a new one. Actually, I got misty-eyed as I took allegiance to this country I called home for over a decade now.  I don't know if gaining a US citizenship really matters. But for now, I am just living the excitement this new memento brings.  For I live one day at a time! 

Tomorrow, our journey will continue.....

 

 

Celebrating A Life Well-Lived: A Tribute to My Mother-in-Law, Alicia Labrador Mozar

One day, while I was in Los Banos, Laguna, working on my graduate degree, a lady approached me selling a cookbook. Judging the book by its cover (a thing I should've never done), it looked good to me and so I bought a copy. The book went straight to the post office,  dropped in the mail, sent  to my mother-in-law, Mama Alice. While the lady postal worker (postwoman?) weighed the book, calculated the postage, etc, it was mentioned to her that the book was going to my mother-in-law. She got her eyes wide-opened. When asked why the face? With a grin (and without a hint of sarcasm, I believed), she said she hardly knew of a son-in-law so close to his mother-in-law!

What the lady said holds a grain of salt.  For the son-in-law and mother-in-law relationship, has always been stereotyped in the boob tube, silver screen as well as in the radio, as the cat-and-dog kind. This relationship does exist in real life. I have had first-hand experience with this, with  my very own mother and few of my brod-in-laws.

I am privileged to become a part of the Mozar family. And I am so honored to have  Papa Cesar and Mama Alice to be my second parents. For the past 25 years that I became affiliated with them, I considered them my very own.


Mama Alice, was no ordinary person. She was a teacher, an artist, a wife and  a mother of five talented children. I came to know more and more about her as the years keep coming. Through the artworks  (paintings and cross stitch) she generously gave us, the cards she relentlessly sent us, and the times, though always short and limited, we spent with her during our visits to Mainit. Caring, thoughtful, very loving and generous, this is to list a few words that may best describe her.  She lived her life to the fullest! She had a very rewarding career which culminated in retirement as a Division Supervisor. A life so colorful and soulful as she expressed it in every stroke of her paint brush.  A great sense of fulfillment having raised their children, all successful and having families of their own. And endowed with fabulous grandchildren and greatgrandchildren! It all seemed, Mama has had everything she must have wished for...

But...life, like a story, it ends. And like a race, it's not over until it is over. And so the celebration for victory comes at its close!

In the past month or so, Mama was waging a tough war with infirmities that come with her advancing age.  She fought it hard,  but it seemed she was losing ground, despite of modern medicine intervention, as each day came. Finally, today,  she succumbed to and embraced the ultimate - her demise,
Mama's passing is a very sorrowful event, especially to  those she left behind. But her death makes her even larger than life. During this very difficult time,  I enjoin everybody in the Mozar Family: Papa Cesar, Pinky, Boy Cesar, my wife Bingbing, Toto and Michael, to hold a grandiose celebration behind their grieving and mourning. For Mama's life is like a best seller book, well written and read by many! Hers is a life well lived!

Rest in peace, Mama Alice! You may be gone but you will continue to live in our hearts!