Paul,
My wife is from Mindanao, hometown is Ozamiz City. Know what you mean about the get togethers and all the wonderful food. And we are in the same situation as you, moved some years ago to Florida and in this little town there are not many Filipinos, not nearly so many as in our part of north Georgia. For some reason there are a whole bunch up there and I bet there are in many parts of SC too. And there are very many in Florida too, just not as many right here.
Know what you mean about the water buffalo and the emergency need for cash. One thing is that out in the country there you really don't need much to live, you can practically live off the land. We spent nearly a year in a little house about six miles from Ozamiz, on a farm surrounded by all her country uncles, aunties and cousins. Life there is easy, you don't need much. Booze, in the form of "tuba" or palm wine can be had by climbing a small palm and tying a bottle to a cut palm frond and waiting two or three days for the sap to drip and ferment in the bottle. A few days later the stuff turns to vinegar and is used in all the native cooking. The place is full of all kinds of root crops and greens, practically growing wild. You need a few chickens and it helps to have a little corn growing, and some gordy squash and a few beans. But for meat there are always those big monitor lizards, snakes and there is no such thing as a stray dog.
But sooner or later an emergency will arise, and force the sale of the water buffalo. Sometimes it is somebody getting sick, but now a new type emergency need has arisen and it involves the "outsourcing" of their workforce to the ME and elsewhere.
A relative will be in Jeddah or Quatar or even Singapore trying to escape an abusive or even murderous employer and needs emergency cash to get home. Or it may be that another relative has been trying to get that overseas job but at the last minute they must have $1,000 to pay as a kickback to the labor contractor, ship captain or just for "fees" to be allowed to go to Jeddah and work on contract for two years, and for a pittance.
How long has your wife been in the US? Do you ever return for visits over there? I'm sure your wife and mine could share lots of gossip. If you ever come to Florida pay us a visit.
Slagle |
