December 2008:
After 8 months of not seeing him and going crazy with missing him, Karsten joined us for Christmas and New Year. He spent 3 weeks in the Philippines and it was nothing but fun, fun, and more fun. It was also a bit of a coincidence for my family to have more or less hosted a mini-reuinion for the Cinco clan.
Eventhough I haven't spent Christmas here in Germany yet, I have a pretty clear idea of how different, how worlds apart different is it from how it is celebrated in the Philippines. Let's start with the weather. While it could be snowing in Germany, it's boiling hot in the Philippines. Imagine this, while we were half naked and barefoot in the shore having cocktails on a warm night in Boracay, a friend from DE texted someone and said that it was -20°C in KA! The weather, among other things, was one palpable difference.
In the airconditioned room with Papa
Next are the firecrackers. No, not fireworks, fireworks are pretty. Rather, FIRECRACKERS! Think cheap, noisy and dangerous, sold in the street for anyone, even for someone as young as 5 years old, to buy them and be used right beside where it was bought!
Amidst all this noise are the Church masses. Our house is more or less a mere 200 meter distance from the UCCP Church. So on the 24th, Karsten, Danie and I, walked this distance with all the noisy firecrackers exploding left and right of us, to join Church service. I believe last year I mentioned something about how my family celebrates Christmas: quietly and with a bit of religiousity infused in the festivities (usually some Bible reading and reflection, shocking I know). This year it was bit crazy. All of my dad's brothers and their families were in oour house and there was beer and rhum and cigarettes and LECHON and Videoke! And knowing that it will be some time before the next get-together happens again made it more fun!
In the Church
Partying outside the house (with the lechon and the videoke)
Opening gifts from DE
On the 28th, we had Danie baptized. Karsten didn't want a headache (arguing with me usually gives him one) so he agreed on the whole Christening show: I had a dozen or so godparents for my daughter and we had a yummy lunch buffet in a nice restaurant. Danie was 1 year and 7 months old when we did this, a bit late by Philippine standards, since some have their kids baptized a mere 2 weeks after birth. There is a lot of Christian dogma behind this event of course but I wouldn't bore you with details. A part of me can say though that I did it because it was something a Filipina parent must do for the child, and a good excuse to party! Of course on the day of the baptism, after pestering my friends to be at least 1 hour early, I was very, verylate! :D
Studio pictures
(More Baptism pictures on a different blog entry, too much right now to upload)
And day right after the Baptism, we flew to Boracay on a 6:30 flight via Cebu Pacific which had a short stop over in Cebu.
I know it's a naration and not exactly the most exciting one around, so I hope the pictures will compensate!
Tomorrow, all about Boracay!
Favorite Christmas Pictures:
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