October 23, 2023
We had been in Manila for nine days as of Saturday, the 21st of the month, and it was also our final free day before flying back to our province the following day. I'll be traveling abroad once more before the end of this week. I choose to stay optimistically and make the rest of my stay worthwhile rather than feeling sad when thinking about leaving my family.
At the time of writing, Sunday, my mother and I were going to the airport. We're done with our business, and so we have to go back home because our family has been yearning to see us back. It is as if they can't bear not seeing Mom for a long time.
The Weekend Engagement topic asked:
Share one or two images from your weekend, (this one or last weekend) and tell us about what you did and why. Remember to use your own photos. It's been a while since I last joined the WE, and it's good to be back, albeit slowly. I am still busy in the real world, but still finding ways to check my side hustles online.
Back to the topic...
I spent my Saturday with my mother and my brother's family. I chose to take them to Ocean Park Manila because it was the last day we would have time to spend together. They were startled when I told them we would be going to Ocean Park rather than Divisoria, another well-known area in Manila where less expensive goods can be bought. I believed that investing in new experiences and memories was more valuable than purchasing tangible items.
My mom and bro's family, especially my little nephew, looked excited. The little dude likes traveling, just like her Tita Jane. He would love to walk in a spacious area and explore the little things around him. Once again, they had their new life experience. Gladly, the Ocean Park has a discounted entrance fee of Php680-750 until the 15th of November, so we were able to grab cheaper tickets. Otherwise, we would pay more than three thousand pesos per person if we wanted to visit Ocean Park.
At Ocean Park, we visited different attractions. There were eight, to be certain, and the most interesting attractions were the Oceanarium and Sea Lion Show. It wasn't new to me since I've been to Ocean Park, Hong Kong twice. The Manila Ocean Park is just a small one, but enough for the newbies to enjoy.
At the end of the Oceanarium, there were more attractions. One of them was the Christmas Village. From the name itself, the place has Christmas decorations. It was my little nephew who enjoyed it the most. He was amazed and excited to touch the glowing decorations, and he would chase Christmas lights. The photo below was taken at the Santa booth with my mom.
A few more months will be Christmas. That would be my 7th Christmas without my family. I missed the Filipino celebrations and traditions. I missed the family gathering during Christmas and New Year. But this year will be the first time that Dad isn't with my family. His passing created a new chapter of my life and thus new decisions to make. This might include giving up my dream to work in European countries. As much as possible, I just want to stay beside my Mom. So in the following year, there'll be changes again.
Anyway, that was a worthy weekend with my mom and bro's family. That will be the last this year as well. On Wednesday, I'll be going back to work, so at least, I had some good times with my family.
(All photos are mine)
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