This month is back to school time! Do you have all your school supplies ready? Did you have a hard time finding the list according to the grade level of your child? Or did you just order the ready-pack supplies? Is it worth the price for being stress-free? I remember the days when I labeled every single item on the school supply list. I got smarter over the years and just printed out labels instead of individually labeling the items. It saves time and energy. Let’s get our children up and ready to learn this year by making them healthy.
Shout out to our August birthday celebrants: Jesus “Jun” Butay, Jr., Omar “O” Lascano Lugtu, Adrienne Kawano, Gail Fujiwara, Vanessa Kate Erin Galiza, Jacinta Idica, Catalina Evangelista, Sean Matthew Impelido-Butay, Adrian Chris and Edrien Chris Delos Santos and Gene Alvarez. Happy, Happy birthday to you! (Tagalog) Maligayang bati sa inyong kaarawan! (Ilocano) Naimbag nga panagkasangay mo! (Ibanag) Makapagayaya nga aggaw na nikeyana mu! (Kapampangan) Masayang kebaitan queca! (Ilonggo) Masadya gid nga adlaw sa imo pagkatawo.
Let’s visit our friends Angel and Michael and see what’s going on with them this month, shall we?
Angel feels nervous when she hears what Michael’s mom says. She doesn’t know what to do or say. She just keeps silent.
She helps Michael’s mom set up the table, the plates and makan (food). She feels this will be her last day. She is being well-fed first then thrown to jail. “It’s ok, I know it’s my fault anyway for staying here without proper documentation. I need to be punished or deported. I wish I can just go home and be with my family,” Angel thinks to herself. “Oh, how I miss my family. I hope my Tatay (father) is doing okay. I haven’t talked to him for a long time.” Her tears start rolling down her eyes.
She doesn’t know Michael’s mom is watching her.
“Angel? Angel? Angel, are you ok?” she asks.
She can’t find her voice. Instead, Angel hugs her and starts crying on her shoulder.
She let her cry until she feels better.
Angel feels embarrassed and lets go of Michael’s mom.
“Sorry, po” she says shyly.
“It’s ok, iha. I understand,” Michael’s mom says.
They continue to set up the table and when it is done, they all sit quietly.
At the table, there’s Michael’s favorite combo, the monggo beans and the pork adobo.
“Oh mom, Madamogud nga salamat (thank you) for cooking my favorite pamangan (foods). I haven’t eaten good pagkain (food) for a week!” Michael exclaims excitedly.
“Daghang salamat (thank you). Agyamanak (thank you). Maraming salamat (thank you)!” Michael continues.
Michael takes the plate of rice and scoops it on Angel’s plate. Then he scoops some onto his plate and passes it to his dad. His amahan (father) does the same thing. He scoops some rice on his inahan (mother’s) plate and then on his yama’s (father’s) plate.
Angel quietly admires how well Michael was raised. He is not a spoiled brat and respects his parents. Unlike those she knows who are arrogant and disrespectful to the parents by yelling and answering back.
Then Michael does the same thing with the monggo beans and pork adobo.
When Michael finishes placing pagkaon (food) on her plate, Angel gives him a shy smile and says, “Dacal a salamat (thank you).”
Michael sweetly responds, “My pleasure to serve you, Angel.”
Michael’s parents are just looking at them while they are eating. His Nanang (mother) is very happy seeing Michael smiling while he’s eating.
“Yena (mother), your kanan (food) is getting cold,” Michael tells his yena (mother).
His tatay (father) also comments and says “Let them eat and you should eat too so we can go and rest.”
Michael’s inahan (mother) rolls her eyes to her husband and starts eating.
There’s small talk and laughter while they are eating. Angel feels at ease now and is not scared of Michael’s nanay (mother). Although she looks strict, she is a very caring and sweet lady. Angel can’t help but think of her own nanay (mother).
They are almost the same. Her nanay (mother) looks strict too but is a very sweet lady. “I wonder how is my nanay (mother) now,” Angel says to herself.
“My nanang (mother) knows how to cook monggo beans too and pork adobo. Except her nanay (mother) puts bitter melon in the monggo beans. Her inahan (mother) says bitter melon is really healthy and helps to clean your blood and helps when you have diabetes.”
Michael’s mom asks her a question but she doesn’t hear it because she is busy with her own thoughts.
So she just says “Ho?” translating to “What is it?”
Michael’s mom repeats what she said to Angel, “You don’t like the monggo beans, iha?” Iha means endearment.
Angel replies shyly and says, “I love monggo beans po. I’m just not used to having it with marunggay leaves.”
Michael’s inahan (mother) replies and says “In Ilocos, we put marunggay leaves with. most other vegetables. We don’t like bitter melon because it makes us bitter and look older.”
And they all laugh at what Michael’s nanay (mother) says.
Knock, knock knock…
And they all stop laughing together when they hear a loud knock and puzzledly look at each other.
Then the knocking continues… And continues… with urgency this time.
Who is knocking late at night at Michael’s balay (house)?
How do you find people just dropping by your house unannounced, especially late at night? Do you ignore it or go and check who is at the door?
Anyways, that’s all I have. Keep an eye out for my article on every issue. I’m Dulce, helping you to master your Filipino Languages. Like always, let’s laugh, let’s makinig (listen) and Let’s Talk Pinoy! Hanggang sa muli! (Until next time!) Ingat! (Take care!)
Dulce Karen Butay was graduated from Maui High School and received her Associate in Arts degree in Liberal Arts from Maui Community College. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in Accounting, from the University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu. She is currently the Administrative Officer at the County of Maui, Department of Finance. Butay is a licensed Resident Producer of Life Insurance with World Financial Group and an Independent Consultant of Saladmaster. She is now part of Saladmaster’s Travel Club and won an all-expenses paid trip to Cancún, Mexico. Butay has traveled to Texas, the Philippines and Thailand as one of the delegates from Island Healthy Solutions, a Saladmaster dealer here on Maui.