The best thing about being part of a community is you gain an extended family. I had a multitude of Ates and Kuyas as I grew up. They were also all my neighbors so we naturally hung-out after our service. We spent many years celebrating birthdays monthly.
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| c2007 at Tita Eva's |
It was a monthly feast where we got to sample their specialties. It was fun because we all came from different provinces. We usually buy Baliwag chicken also as an add on. During those times we didn't need to diet, haha.
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| c2006 I think at Papa Ray's |
The kids back then were all still chikitings. They had their own little world while the adults would eat then do some jamming. It's a great memory for me because my choir family did not make me long for my siblings who both lived in other countries. Most of the kids now are already working, some in university and a few still in high school.
Soon enough though we started fragmenting. People started to get married and move to other places. Some of us moved to other countries because of work. We were able to have Christmas reunions for a few years, but it was hard since those who'd come home would also be busy with their family reunions.
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| Most recent get-together was Papa Ray's surprise birthday party, c. 2019 |
When we came home, my Ates and Kuyas welcomed us back. We've been able to see some of them and they also helped us when the boys had COVID-19. I'm eternally grateful to have my choir family and hope when renovations are done we could host a get-together or smaller dinners.
#BeKind #StaySafe
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