Balikbayan Box, part II

When I told my friend Enteng that I was filling up a big "balikbayan box" to be sent home, he almost passed out laughing. He's been in the US for at least 10 years and works in DC and been sending "balikbayan box" before. He told me he stopped sending them because it is easier to send money to buy the things his family needs and saving the cost of sending the box. Besides, it is really hard to fill the box, not knowing what your loved ones like to have. I think Enteng's idea makes sense. This is probably my first and last balikbayan box.

It's been a month now since I started filling up the box and it is not even half full. I tried inserting groceries from our pantry already but still need more and we need to send it by Saturday this week. I have a very tight schedule and I think I'm running out of time. I was thinking of buying towels just for the fill but Mama has a big collection of towel that she will need to put up another cabinet to accommodate it. It is really hard to anticipate what to send that they will like.

"Balikbayan box" has been a tradition to overseas Filipinos. It is a way for them to convey a message to their family in the Philippines that they care. It makes them happy seeing their family happy. Even if the stuff inside the box is very much available in the groceries of the Philippines, still the fact that they are made in the US makes them think that it is a better product than the ones there. That is so untrue, in fact, I got shoes and blouses for my Mother, socks for my nephews, and a careful scrutiny of the label reveals that, oh yeah…they were made in the Philippines. And I'm sending them back to where it came from. Never ever forget where you came from because the ghost of your past will continue to haunt you....joke lang.