Alone Again, Naturally
Prior to their arrival, I agonized about how my parents could possibly enjoy staying with me in my Manhattan apartment. I worried so much I had stress related acne and weight gain (yeah, blame it on stress). I have a walk-up and my mom has knee problems. And I was also afraid this would tire her so much that her blood pressure might shoot up. I have a studio that is smaller than their bedroom, a bathroom about the size of their closet and I do not own a car that they have gotten so used to in going around. This is Manhattan where people either take the subway, the bus or the cab or walk. I worry that they might get tired that they won't enjoy their vacation. There was no space for my dad to smoke as I live in a smoke free building.
I have learned that things always work out. And it did. My mom did get tired the first few days she had to climb or descend the stairs. Towards the end of their visit she was still slow coming down but didn't get tired as easily. She had built up her stamina so much that by the final weekend when we went to Woodbury Outlets in time for Columbus Day sales, she was running around to get pasalubongs for her grandkids with so much energy.
Initially my dad smoked near my window with my fan acting as an exhaust. Then he discovered that he could step out into the fire escape and enjoy the view and eventually that was what he enjoyed most, watching the city pass by from my third floor 'mini-balcony'. When the mercury started to go down toward their last days in the city, he had also decided to minimize his smoking as he had run out of the packs he had brought in from Manila. The price of a pack of cigarettes here, he complains, at $7 is the cost of 2 reams of cigarettes at home! So it was a good excuse to minimize his nicotine intake.
My mom cooked a lot while she was what I'd prefer, their New York home. She made my aunt very happy with the daily feasts she created of the finest adobo, menudo, pochero, sinigang and tinola. She even played around with the ingredients that were readily available that were cheaper here than at home. She baked salmon that my dad and I literally gulped down with gusto.
It was great to go home and find them at home and then to leave in the mornings for work with the usual ritual of saying goodbye to them. Call me a baby but that was the rituals of my life that I have never outgrown. So coming home today (they left last night) to a dark and quiet apartment was so depressing I just had to move the furniture around and give the apartment a new look.
My parents have traveled to New York many times before prior to my eventual decision to work and live here. They have gone and done all the touristy stuff in the city. On this visit they literally just walked around and met up with relatives and friends. In the weekends we rented a vehicle and drove outside of the city. And it was fun and much as I do not feel the monthly cost of paying for a car, renting I realized, wasn't so bad either! You can have a different car for your every need and it is readily available to you when you need it. I had a van the first week and a medium sized car the next two weekends. I had also reserved an SUV for the last Sunday but we just decided to stay in the city and take it easy.
I haven't had the chance to blog as much while they were here. There was no need to as the major updating that was required for the moment was too close at hand there was no need to go online. This was about setting my priority and I think I stood by which was more important - be with my parents. And I had no time to neither- it was all about family.
My friends at work are not surprised with my closeness to my family. Filipinos outnumber any nationality in our organization and there is a familiarity about the clannishness of our people. I think Andrea had put it most clearly when she said, "You're lucky that you do not come from some dysfunctional family". I know.
I have learned that things always work out. And it did. My mom did get tired the first few days she had to climb or descend the stairs. Towards the end of their visit she was still slow coming down but didn't get tired as easily. She had built up her stamina so much that by the final weekend when we went to Woodbury Outlets in time for Columbus Day sales, she was running around to get pasalubongs for her grandkids with so much energy.
Initially my dad smoked near my window with my fan acting as an exhaust. Then he discovered that he could step out into the fire escape and enjoy the view and eventually that was what he enjoyed most, watching the city pass by from my third floor 'mini-balcony'. When the mercury started to go down toward their last days in the city, he had also decided to minimize his smoking as he had run out of the packs he had brought in from Manila. The price of a pack of cigarettes here, he complains, at $7 is the cost of 2 reams of cigarettes at home! So it was a good excuse to minimize his nicotine intake.
My mom cooked a lot while she was what I'd prefer, their New York home. She made my aunt very happy with the daily feasts she created of the finest adobo, menudo, pochero, sinigang and tinola. She even played around with the ingredients that were readily available that were cheaper here than at home. She baked salmon that my dad and I literally gulped down with gusto.
It was great to go home and find them at home and then to leave in the mornings for work with the usual ritual of saying goodbye to them. Call me a baby but that was the rituals of my life that I have never outgrown. So coming home today (they left last night) to a dark and quiet apartment was so depressing I just had to move the furniture around and give the apartment a new look.
My parents have traveled to New York many times before prior to my eventual decision to work and live here. They have gone and done all the touristy stuff in the city. On this visit they literally just walked around and met up with relatives and friends. In the weekends we rented a vehicle and drove outside of the city. And it was fun and much as I do not feel the monthly cost of paying for a car, renting I realized, wasn't so bad either! You can have a different car for your every need and it is readily available to you when you need it. I had a van the first week and a medium sized car the next two weekends. I had also reserved an SUV for the last Sunday but we just decided to stay in the city and take it easy.
I haven't had the chance to blog as much while they were here. There was no need to as the major updating that was required for the moment was too close at hand there was no need to go online. This was about setting my priority and I think I stood by which was more important - be with my parents. And I had no time to neither- it was all about family.
My friends at work are not surprised with my closeness to my family. Filipinos outnumber any nationality in our organization and there is a familiarity about the clannishness of our people. I think Andrea had put it most clearly when she said, "You're lucky that you do not come from some dysfunctional family". I know.