Anticipation

When I was a kid in Brooklyn during the 1950's, anticipation played a big role in my life. At that time, television was not on the air 24/7. Stations signed off late at night with a prayer and the National Anthem. They usually signed back on at 7:00 A.M., with another prayer and another National Anthem. In between, the stations played test patterns. I usually awoke at 6:00 A.M. and turned on the t.v. to watch my favorite cartoons at 7, so I spent an hour of anticipation watching the test patterns.


Maricar: Then.....

Maricar (standing in the doorway). This was the first photo I received. She was 9 years old. Her mom and brother are also in the photo.


Switch channels to 2008 and anticipation is still with me. As of this writing (5/30/08 at 2100 hours) I have 46 days, 14 hours and 31 minutes until I begin the first leg of my 10,000 mile trip. No,I'm not well versed in calculus but I did find a website that actually counts down the time for me.

By this time, Maricar should have learned of my impending visit. Being a mother of two young children, I doubt that she has much time to dwell on anticipation, but I hope that she is looking forward to our meeting. My trip is a long one, but her trip probably is more difficult. She has a 2 1/2 hour trip over the mountains by bus from Santa Catalina to Dumaguete. I am told that during the monsoon season (May to October), the mountain roads often become impassable....and dangerous. Bus schedules are cancelled without notice because of the weather.


And now:


Maricar, aged 18, with her husband, Tomas and her 2 children.

Hope

(click on map to enlarge)

10,572 miles....One way.

I am about to begin a journey, the end of which is uncertain. I am going to a place I have never been before. I am going to meet a young woman I have never met before. I hope she will be glad to see me when we meet. I hope the monsoon rains there will hold off for 6 days. I hope the mosquitoes that carry Dengue fever will be busy elsewhere. I hope.

If you break down the distance of 10,572 miles into smaller parts, it sounds easier: New York to L.A.- 2500 miles, L.A. to Guam- 6,089 miles, Guam to Manila - 1599 miles and Manila to Dumaguete - 384 miles. Or, about a day and a half including stopovers.

8 years ago, my daughter volunteered with an organization called Little Children of the World (www.littlechildren.org). Their children's outreach progam, located in the central Philippine city of Dumaguete, is called Little Children of the Philippines. There she met a 9 year old girl named Maricar. I soon became her sponsor. Maricar is now 17 and has a family of her own. We have exchanged letters and photos over the years and, if everything goes as I hope, will finally meet each other.

The Visayans, or central Philippines

(click on map to enlarge)