Homecoming

Bienvenida Party! Welcome and Mabuhay! It had been a long time since we last met. How was everything? Fine! Ok! But of course...there were so many Balikbayans in town last May and there were welcome parties left and right. Recollection of the by-gone days. Comparing notes.

This was the flavor of the month. Very Filipino. An extension of Fiesta Mentality. As usual the Balikbayans bragged about their lives in the greener Pasteur and more often the welcoming friends or relatives felt envious secretly wishing to be where the Balikbayan came from. Though deep in the heart of the honoree was an endless repentance for having left the country.

There were those who really made it good abroad but they were not so many and their hearts were also longing for home. In spite of the negative events happening, in spite of all the natural calamities, in spite of poverty and lack of order, there was no place like home.

A typical Filipino Home was warm and hospitable. It was beaming with love and care. It was kind and protective. It was like the mother's womb and going back home was like returning to the womb where one can feel so secure and carefree.

That was why the Balikbayans were contented. At home they felt triumphant and needed. They have that sense of fulfillment and power. Their egos were bloated and they felt floating on clouds after eating all the native delicacies again. After seeing all the beautiful spots they went back to their "greener Pasteur" with air of greatness, for who, after all, shall treat them like heroes but their own abandoned friends and relatives. The "Brain Stay" who kept the country alive.