My sister and I went to Pampanga this weekend to visit our other sister, our oh-so-cute-but-oh-so-pilyo nephew and the rest of our relatives. Athough we lived there a good part of our lives, and we still make it a point to make the trip every so often, there are some things that still surprise us everytime we do stay over. Most of the time, we just laugh, cringe, or we are just plain dumbfounded at how strange our family can get.

My grandmother, who is a little over 80, is getting really forgetful. My sister who lives there now told us about the time our grandmother literally called her about six or seven times at fifteen minute intervals to ask her the same question. I can imagine how maddening that is. Everytime we go there, she asks my other sister and I where we live and who cooks for us.

It is difficult for our relatives there to grasp the concept of two young women living alone in a condo with no parents (grandparents, titos, titas, pamangkins, maids...). The most frequently asked question is, "Paano kayo kumakain? Sino'ng nagluluto?" and "Naglilinis ba kayo?"

My tita who lives with my grandparents is four months pregnant. Although her belly is getting more and more noticable everytime we see her, the grandparents don't know yet. When we asked her why she hasn't said anything, she said, "Di pa naman nila tinatanong eh." I guess they'll find out when she gives birth.

My other tita told my sister who is in pre-med, "Alam mo, mag-nurse ka nalang, tapos mag-States ka." My sister actually almost lost her temper then. My cousin, who knows I am jobhunting right now, told me, "Ayaw mo'ng mag-med rep? Ok ang benefits nun!" No offense to the nurses and the med reps out there, but... um... ok, let's say it again. No offense to the nurses and med reps out there. Period.

Meals are served like clockwork there. I have the impression that people live to eat and do everything else on the side. It is a crime not to eat breakfast at 8, lunch at 12, and dinner at 7. Literally, before each meal, my lolo gives a roll call and screams at everyone to get our asses to the table and eat. This is usually when my grandmother asks us her usual line of questions and repeats them around 3 or 4 times during the entire course of the meal. Most of the time, my tito and tita answer for us, since they already know that my sister goes grocery shopping once a week, we have our laundry picked up and delivered, and that I usually clean the place.

It can make me want to pull every strand of hair out of my scalp sometimes, but wierd as they are, they are still family and we love them to bits. I guess that we are the wierd ones in their eyes. In spite of all this, having a place like this to come home to is still one of the things we have that makes us very grateful. Nothing beats entering a room filled with relatives whom you know will take care of you no matter what. God bless their souls.

By the way, this is only the mother's side. The paternal relatives are a whole different story.