Melissa: Characters and Caricatures

Ane- short for Anesio. 60+ Filipino man who has lived in California for many years but just returned to his home town of Dumaguette for retirement. He likes to golf (took us to his golf course), hangs out with the mayor because of his connections through the rotary club (we got to sit and eat Sissig with the Mayors of three Filipino cities), is retired but owns a “restobar” where he eats most his meals and basically uses it to entertain his upper and middle class friends, is known as “tito” (uncle for those spanishly challenged) and was, what I have come to realize, our protectorate for a few days in Dumaguette. Aside from treating us to a few meals (in exchange for our company and assuredly the attention he got from walking around with two foreign American girls) he drove us around with personal tours telling us the history of the town and enlightening us to his perspective on life on Negros. As a member of the rotary club, he told us “you just can never do enough” and we completely understood what he meant as later we would meet a doctor who told us about the many patients seeking his attention each day, the mayor whose office was full of people waiting to talk to him and the wide-eyed, shoulder-hugging pair of young boys who pointed at Elisa’s chicken as we ate on the boardwalk wanting a little extra food. I don’t think I’ve ever hung out with an older, retired guy as much before...

Harold: We stayed in Harold’s Mansion because of a recommendation from a the Swiss couple that we traveled with. They were certainly right that the rooms were affordable (only $5 each per night) and clean (there was actually a shower curtain separating the shower from the toilet! Amazing…) and came with breakfast and a half hour of free internet use. Ane was the one who introduced us to Harold our first night and I thought it weird that I was at a bar with the owner of my hostel. Little did I know but we would be extending our intended 2 nights stay to 5 nights, would be getting rides with him to go snorkeling and diving, would eat dinner at his caretaker’s house for a “fiesta” to commemorate the neighboring towns saint’s bday, would cook him dinner in his actual luxurious house and would drink and dance with him a few more times. At 35, we decided he is just a big kid who knows what he is doing. All smiles and a laugh that seemed to conclude every utterance, his motto was “don’t feel bad about feeling good”. Maybe if he comes to Cali we can return some of the best Filipino hospitality that we have received yet.

Sandy: Owner of Hayahay (means “cool”) bar where reggae night is the big hit. He was the one we stumbled upon with Ane the first night. It just sop happened to be the opening night of his Pizza place’s grand opening and his bar was the one we spent the rest of the evening at. 31 with a wife and three kids, he has tattoos and likes to surf, opened up another restaurant with his dad and manages to stay calm, cool and collected (and party a bit himself) while operating all his businesses. The guy that everyone seemed to know and respect in Dumaguette. It really was a small place…

Britt- A 23-year-old Peace Corps volunteer from Arkansas who is working for his two year stay at the neighboring island of Sequijor but was staying at Harold’s for a vacation. He was on a quest to find a guy who knew a thing or two about bee conservation but Britt’s specialty was working with local fisherman to educate them about over fishing etc. We had a fun time squeezing a million little limes to make key lime pie (which was later devoured in roughly five minutes around 3 am) and talking about how he likes the Peace Corp, how it was adjusting to living in the Philippines and his take on the people and culture etc. I hate to say it or I will admit to the fact that he really made me want to travel to other US states because I have such a fixed, stereotype of the people in the Midwest and the south in my head that really needs so reworking.

George and Co- George is a large middle-aged Filipino man who currently resides in Illinois with his family but comes back to Negros every few years or so for a reunion with his friends he has known since kindergarten. Somehow we chanced to be on the same small island the same sunny afternoon as he was and after he asked us we where we were from and we got to talking his invited us to have fresh fish and wine with him and his friends. He was with his 15-year-old son who seemed to love hanging out with the older guys but who was annoyed with his dad for taking so many photos (he really would click away to a point of excess). But we had a nice lunch and snorkel with them and they gave us a lift back in their car (which we were grateful for because the jeepneys here take forever, you have to stop every 20 feet to pick up a new passenger). Later that night we saw them at Reggae at Hayahay’s and they still took tons of pictures and bought us some drinks. As we walked to a different table Elisa said to me “Traveling really does actualize people’s fantasies…” commenting on how four middle aged guys were pleased to have the attention of two young girls if only just to make them feel younger.

As you have noticed, we met only guys really (and older ones at that). I guess it is a sad fact that it is easier to meet guys than girls and that the people that we did meet had some experience with living in America and were fairly well off. We were treated to so many things but ironically were in a place where we least needed the help and where so many other girls would have benefited more from the generosity. We learned a lot from the people we met, only a few points of reference, we know but we still hold that meeting local people and hanging out with them was time better spent than going to see the actual attractions of the island that we failed to go to (lakes, waterfalls etc.) Now we are in Cebu City and are getting a slap in the face in terms of going from a small, friendly city like Dumaguette to the bigger, colder pace of big city life. Sipping our coffee and planning our next move- I can’t believe we go back to Hong Kong tomorrow…