Realities

I spent the weekend in Paris and if I didn't have more important things to write about, I would have been telling stories of that fantastic but short-lived trip. Perhaps, I would write about it - in another occasion.

Now, more pressing matters need to be unraveled from my mind. This afternoon, I talked to my Mom. It's always nice talking to her, but after that conversation, I really could say, ignorance is bliss. First off was the degrading state of affairs in the Philippines. I've been only gone for a month and she said that things have become worse - politically, and economically. It's tiring to hear about the country like that. Doesn't the corrupt people have anything else to do in their lives than just acquire money and advance their own interests? Don't they see the shit the country is in already? Me and the other filipinos here are wondering what kind of country we'll return to. It is depressing. We do all we can here to preserve the name of the country - to promote the country we love to the people around us here, and the officials are just ruining everything.

Now second point, I've never been a family person, but the things happening in my family are beyond my tolerance. When my aunt came to the Philippines from California for a vacation, "the family elders" had this grand meeting. There, my grandparents together with their sons and daughters - my mom and her brothers and sister, to be exact - had this grand meeting about, yes, the inheritance. So they finished talking about it that same night and everything was settled - or they thought it was. Come yesterday, my mom gave the e-mail of my lolo to my uncle and lo and behold, he said things implying that his share was too small, while my mom's was too big. I love my uncle. He is my favorite uncle and it really is bad to hear something like that from him. Many people say that this disagreement over inheritance is bound to happen, but I didn't want to believe it and yet it is starting already. I hope everything gets settled. I don't want to return to a broken country and a family divided by inheritance differences.

I've always looked forward to returning to the Philippines after everything. I've always told everyone that the country needs them and they should work in the country. Now I understand why so many people are exiling themselves from the country, but I don't want to join them in that exile.