Meeting a Japanese Girl

I had the pleasure of having my first Japanese encounter last Wednesday. Okay not excatly first encounter. I've been to a lot of Japanese related events, had several Ebay transactions with Japanese sellers (my favorite Ebay seller is a Japanese by the way *shout out to Seiki-san*), my former boss once introduced her former boss to me. But all of them were more of a hi, hello, will you sign my stuff, thank you, excellent, ja mata ne and all that one liner thingie. My friend Che is a member of a wonderful Japanese NGO that provides various voluntary works here in the Philippines. I don't have a comprehensive idea of what they do, but Che told me once that they set up a portable water system in Palumbanes island. I don't exactly know where it is, but it's somewhere in the Bicol region. Since I really don't know much of the details, let's just say she has a Japanese friend named Risa that she introduced to me and my other colleague, Bryan. We ate breakfast at Chowking because she likes Kangkong (Water Spinach a.k.a Ipomoea aquatica). While it surprised me in weird way that she likes Kangkong, it amazed me to know that she knows Tagalog and had lived in

Palumbanes island for a month. To go here for travel is common, to do some charity works is admirable, but to actually immerse yourself to the life of the locals, in a remote place where electricity is supplied by a generator and runs for a limited time... is just awe inspiring. It was a pleasing experience, to talk to a Japanese and ask a lot of questions and confirm my knowledge about Japan and its culture. It ignited my desire to go to Japan. Gosh, I hope I can go there before my passport expires... I have to start saving...

demonstrating how to eat Halo-halo