Wrapping Up Dagupan

I ended up being in Dagupan longer than expected...which, I suppose, was to be expected. I had originally started packing for a one week stay but decided to throw in some extra clothes just in case I ended up there for a week and a half. Well, my week and a half was about to end when Uncle Argie (Tita Karen's husband) invited me to accompany them on their family trip to Sagada. (See post below about my Sagada experience.) I didn't have to think about it before quickly replying, "Yes please!" So on that note, my week and a half magically turned into a solid two. Upon returning to Dagupan, I realized I wasn't ready to leave town without spending some more time with the rest of the family. So if you've caught on to how this pattern goes, I extended my two week stay by an extra half week. But by this point I still wasn't really ready to head back to Manila- not because I didn't want to see my family there(!) but rather I felt that these past two weeks still weren't enough with the Gutierrez side of my family- however, my time in the Philippines as a whole was beginning to dwindle at that point so it was time to start wrapping things up everywhere.

Once I returned from Sagada I was able to hang out with Uncle Ricky's family, eat way too much with Uncle Ramon's family, and spend time with my younger cousins in Tita Karen's family.

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Here's a recap of how things went these past few weeks:

I spent my first week and a half in Dagupan at Uncle Butch's house, which is located on the same property as the family bowling alley. Uncle Ricky, Tita Yasmine & their two young kids live in a house that's attached to the bowling alley. So, since they're neighbors, everyday was spent with them as well. Every morning around 8:00, Uncle Ricky would come knock on my bedroom door for breakfast. We'd eat as a family and hang out, sometimes leaving the house to go run errands, before eating lunch together too. I'd take a nap, more hanging out would happen and before you knew it, dinner time had arrived. (Yes, food is such a big deal here that our days revolve around it.) This would also be the time that Uncle Butch arrived home from work and usually with something to share. So every night I felt like a little kid again at dinner, waiting for the front door to open so I could see what surprise Uncle Butch was bringing home for me. Would it be a fresh papaya? The delicious native coconut dumpling dessert, bichu-bichu? Or my favorite rice cake, puto?

The second week was spent at Tita Karen's house. She has four kids (one 15-year old, a 13-year old, a 10 year-old, and a 3-year old) so the house was full and fun. They were all so nice it was unbelievable. One time, when Isa (the 15-year old) heard me mention to her younger brother that I didn't eat dinner (I thought my mid-day snack would be enough but realized I was wrong around 10 PM) she came out of nowhere half an hour later and said, "Here Rachael. I made this for you because I heard you didn't eat tonight." ... I live with a 15-year old back home so naturally I thought she was kidding. I'm pretty sure the first thing I replied with was, "What?" (Of course I genuinely thanked her after my initial surprise.) But anyways, when I wasn't spending my time eating specially-prepared sandwiches, I was just hanging out with everyone. Watching TV, movies, or just talking. Something about being surrounded by kids and their parents made me miss my family a little bit more than I had been...(And to my 10-year old cousin Julio: Don't worry, I promise I'll be back!)

My time spent with Uncle Ramon's family revolved around eating. The first time I saw them was at our Good Friday feast when the whole family ate fish all day. The second was when they invited me over for a delicious Indian & Korean dinner that included three rounds of dessert. (Although there were only 6 of us eating, they cooked enough to feed a small army.) And the third and final time was for my last night in Dagupan when they invited me out to a local buffet serving Mongolian food. This was when Cyra & Mark, Uncle Ramon's kids, started teaching me eating strategies so I could fit more food into my stomach. Say what?? Tip for future visitors: Wait until you're done dieting to come to the Philippines. I assure you that willpower is not enough to keep you from eating.

My trip to Dagupan was so great and I'm so thankful for how open-armed and loving my family was to me while I was there. I can't wait to come back but am even more hopeful that they are able to come visit us back in the States!