It used to be I could not go back to sleep once the roosters began their pre-dawn cockadoodledooing. What a difference two months makes. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still loud and obnoxious, but I’ve made a conscious decision to not allow those guys to steal away an hour of my sleep. I’ve worked out a system wherein I just work them into my dreams.
I still haven’t figured out how to handle the pigs squealing. There is no melody to their racket. And the darn things try to grab my wet shirts off the clothesline, and the other day I came home and one was choking on a plastic bag. Still, I wish lechon baboy (rotisserie pig) was not the “National Dish.” Come May 1, Tagbilaran City fiesta, many a pink thing will experience an untimely demise. Squealing will be rampant that day. I might sleep with earplugs for the occasion.
Then there are dogs. We have Bingo for a pet – he is twelve or thirteen, nobody quite remembers. But there are many strays. dogs can be very loud when they want to. I am still a little frightened when the strays bark at me (have been ever since a German Shepard chomped on my behind when I was five.) My friend Corey has pointed out to me that if you bend over as if to pick up a stone or some other projectile, the dog will cower and pick on someone his own size. Anyway, I’ve been vaccinated for pre-exposure rabies.
There you have it, the animal orchestra of The Philippines consists of cocks, swine, and canine. And if you count sputtering trikes as animals, well then you can include them too.
Ambet, my Business Advising for Youth Development technical trainer, left our training a few days early to be with his wife when she delivered their first child, Juan (born around 2am Friday.) Ambet is one of fourteen children, though at age 26 he’s already outlived his four elder siblings. One of my favorite moments on our trip to Dumaguete last week was at an orphanage. Ocelie, one of my co-trainees was reading Corduroy to the kids. Ambet’s mind was elsewhere. See, there was an infant there, and Ambet picked her up, bounced her around and make faces with her – getting some last minute practice in. I hereby nominate Ambet to the International Dad Hall of Fame.
On Sunday, I helped mama and papa paint the window frames. I’m not known for coloring within the lines. Which meant yesterday I had to clean up all the paint that I smeared on the glass. Only after an hour sweating in the blistering sun did I remember that putting tape around the edges is a great way to avoid the consequences of being messy.
Posted by dbs at April 13, 2004 05:47 PM