After visiting the Tres Cruces dam in Tanza, I dropped by General Trias to see my Lola. Our lone surviving grandparent on both sides. The last time I saw her was some two years ago. Because I go out of the country regularly, these trips are becoming few and far between.
I have great memories of General Trias (thanks to my Aunt and cousins who hosted my summer vacations, here where I immersed myself playing near the irrigation canal, chasing dragonflies and poaching summer fruits—and watching ol’ school wrestling on betamax tapes!). My Lola’s garden is still planted with practical vegetation. Like my father, her nephew, she enjoys having a garden where she can pick vegetables to be broiled with fish. That’s how Visayan do soup—simple, healthy, a bit briny sometimes but none the less delicious!
Her only son, Tito Felix, a professor in a state university, decided to stay on to look after her—this I thought is practical. In other countries old people are left to the care of medical facilities and retirement homes. Last year, while I was in the US, a relative of mine (who works for a physical therapy clinic) told me how some old people don’t even get visitors during holidays—it disturbs him because he gets to be friends with some of these old folks and he adored his grandparents growing up in their Quezon city home; I could understand the sympathy he feels for his patients —but societies differ from country to country.
But that small home, my Lola’s home, is a happy one. All her grandkids, three of them, are there with their Cebuana mom and my uncle—they’re smart and polite. I’m sure if they work hard there’s nothing they can’t achieve in this life. These kids surprised me when they told me that they found this blog and saw pictures of their Lola (so I’m partly writing this for them to read). I don’t go telling relatives that I write on line, let alone post their pictures without their consent but I’m glad these kids found all of US here!
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By the way, I just discovered a new name for General Trias. Looks like Trias is out. The hip name for it these days is Gentri. You learn every day! I wonder what’s next…
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