Leaving Town for the Weekend

[starshadow_rivaulx]

I'm not really sure how this is all going to turn out, but hopefully for the best. Yesterday, I got a text from my aunt's personal secretary. Out of the blue, a kind of catch-up thing, asking how the parents were; and by the way, my aunt and uncle don't visit the local mall anymore, they're both "ulianin" - I think that roughly translates as "growing old and losing their memories with it"/dementia.

I sent back a reply saying that the parental units are fine, then told Ma. Who of course, as the older sister, felt it her responsibility to visit my aunt, her baby sister. Aunt lives in the province of Iloilo, as beautiful a place as any in the Philippines. As the family concierge, it fell to me to book the airline flights; I'll also have to arrange for taxi transfers from the house to the airport and vice-versa. Plus a whole lot of other details that will take too much space to mention here...but I think a lot of you can relate!

For the sake of family politics, Ma says we should stay at my aunt's house. I am conditioning myself to breathe deeply and switch into my politically correct mode. I am hoping that my aunt can still recognize Ma - they're the only two siblings left out of their family. Thoroughly Modern Millie me would much prefer to stay in a hotel; I love my cousins, but in an "absence makes the heart grow fonder" kind of way. There will be the usual impertinent questions about my weight, my shape, my lack of babies, do I work, do I have a business - it's a cultural thing. Hence having to switch into politically correct mode. If Aunt asks the questions, I'll be all right. If it's anyone else...*practices gritting teeth while smiling*

I keep reminding myself that I am doing this for Ma, that I have been on my own for most of my life and as an only child, cannot begin to understand sibling ties. That somehow it will be all right and I will manage to project the image of the good daughter and not let the side down. *sigh*

Ramon will be left at home to take care of the house and the cats. Am going through mild separation anxiety, and I'm not even separated from them yet, I don't even know, people. Thankfully, we have a new pair of maids that seem responsible enough; already the food is better and the house cleaner in one week than it ever was when the previous pair was in residence.

Progress report thus far:
- airline reservations made and paid for (Cebu Pacific)
- hand luggage packed with flip-flops, jammies, undies, extra clothes
- need to buy prepaid load for LG Cookie that I use to access Twitter
- need to buy prepaid load for the Smart Bro internet dongle
- need to charge battery of the Canon D-SLR
- need to charge batteries for the Aiptek digital vidcam (or maybe use the LG Cookie instead)
- need to check the memory cards for the camera devices!
- need to make sure netbook, mobile phones are also charged before leaving
- need to assemble toiletry kit
- need to buy Ramon's weekly ration of medicines (can dispense with full-on grocery trip, but need a few more cat food pouches)
- various other details that I'll remember after I hit the "send" button *grin*

So we leave on Saturday, and when I get back home on Monday, I will no doubt have TONS of email in my inbox, and a bazillion entries on LiveJournal and Dreamwidth to read through. Twitter, not so much, I can keep tabs on that with the netbook or the mobile phone.

Anyway, off to have a nap now. Need to teach Ramon how to clean up the litter pans tomorrow. Laundry can wait till Tuesday after I get back.

Comments

[aphonicbabel.livejournal.com]

I hope you have a lovely trip and things go better than planned.

[cindyg.livejournal.com]

As long as Ma and Aunt can manage their bonding time, I will be all right. I mean, Ma's 87 and Aunt is 84, they're not spring chickens and this will be the first time they've seen each other in four years or so. If they're happy, that's all that really matters.

Thinking about it, my cousins - that is to say, my first cousins, my aunt's kids - are pretty much easy on the nerves if taken one or two at a time. But when everyone descends on me with their in-laws and children, they all tend to lapse into the local dialect. Which unintentionally shuts me out of the conversation. *shrug*

Dad will be in his element, since it's his home province we're going to. And it will be a gas to hear Ma speaking the dialect, which she does fluently and makes her sound more like a cossetted lady of the manor than she already does. *grin*

[albatoudilandau.livejournal.com]

Apparently the impertinent questions don't stop even after "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Are you married yet?" Thanks for saving me the trouble. Haha!

Ingats! This too shall pass.

[cindyg.livejournal.com]

The impertinent questions *never* stop, I assure you. *grin*

I heard a real beauty of a comment once - fortunately not within my family circle, but still!

"Sayang at nag-mana si Dyunyor sa kulay ng papa niya, ang itim."

*jawdropping forever* I mean *honestly*. The kid was a lovely toddler with just enough coloring to keep him from being a glow-in-the-dark pale in the twilight. And to say this to his mother! Talaga naman.

[albatoudilandau.livejournal.com]

And I've read dissing comments by Americans on a British model's translucent skin. People are just... ganun.

[just-ruth.livejournal.com]

Been there, did that - is there no way you can stay at a hotel while the parents stay with aunt? I ask this only because of the one reunion Jack and I managed to get out of the discomfort because we said "oh, there are too many people coming to stay already, so we booked a hotel room."

There was some disappointment - but we could leave.

[cindyg.livejournal.com]

Nothing would please me more, but as I am the only child of my parents, Ma would throw a conniption fit at the idea of her chickadee alone by herself in a hotel. LOL!

I'll survive, and thank God it's not a family reunion - just parents and I for a flying visit, my cousins all married and living nearby. I think they take it in turn to live at the parental abode. What matters most is that Ma and Aunt have their bonding time - as long as that goes well, I'll be all right. *smile*