Phila's Way..: Three days left..

Day 11 :: 12.8.09 [Tue]

My time here is quickly running out! Only 3 days left..

I walked the kids to school today. I think they enjoyed having me see them off to school, and to be honest, I enjoyed seeing them off. They all congregate just beyond the security-guarded gate to the school, in the courtyard, where they line up according to their Level and then say what I'd assume to be the 'Filipino pledge' and sing a song that is in Cebuano, as two boys raise the Filipino flag on the flag pole. Many pick flowers on their way to school and while waiting in the courtyard, and give them to their friends. How sweet!

Marlys took me to see The Santo Nino Cathedral and Magellan's Cross, and we drove along the SRP [which provided a great view of the area] to continue our Cebu City Tour.

We came back to the Office to meet Sandy and Carmelita. Carmelita had done a little research the night before on 'Rose Apartment 73 Ramos Extension' and discovered it was a real address and knew its location. The four of us took off in a CSC jeepney and found our way to Ramos Extension. It was a small side street in close proximity to F Ramos Street, Dr. Zubiri's office, and the hospital. Carmelita thought out loud and wondered if my birth mum was a nursing student at the time of my birth. Marlys drove slowly along Ramos Extension so the rest of us could look for the number '73.' She pulled over at one point and suggested we maybe park the car and walk. Suddenly, Sandy yells from the back, "there it is!" I didn't know which direction she was looking and didn't have time to look in either direction before Marlys grabbed me and tearily echoed Sandy, overcome with excitement and happiness for me. I peered out the driver's side window, and just past Marlys was 'Rose Apartment No.73 F Ramos Extension' painted in big red letters/numbers. My mind went blank, my stomach crept up into my throat, and I think I stopped breathing for a few seconds. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Carmelita and I got out and knocked on the front gate. A young girl let us in. Carmelita explained our purpose in coming there in Cebuano and the clearly cautious and suspicious young girl pointed at a unit in the far back of the courtyard [there were 6 apartments within this gated community]. We knocked on said apartment door and a young woman answered. At first, it seemed like it was a hopeless effort asking her about the unit and seeing if she knew whether a Concordia Alejandria Amper had once lived there. But then the young woman explained that the property owner worked at a nearby Rose Pharmacy and should have all the records of current and past tenants. We thanked her for her help and she smiled and wished me good luck.

We drove to Rose Pharmacy and found the property owner. She was kind enough to take time out of her busy day to speak with us. She stated she was not the property owner at the time my birth mum would have lived there, and was not sure if the records from the previous property owner transferred over to her, but said she would make a valiant effort to look. She seemed to genuinely empathize with my plight. She wrote down Carmelita's contact information and said she would be in touch.

I have a strange feeling that we've reached the end of this particular road, but I walk away feeling confident that the apartment I stood in front of was, indeed, the apartment my birth mum lived in [even if only temporarily]. The thought gives me goosebumps, and a good amount of satisfaction.

After such an amazing moment, one would think we'd call it a day. But we had one more stop before heading home. Dr. Onate [with a tilde above the 'n'] has been CSC's pediatrician since I was there. He was in his office and had time to meet me between patients. He didn't necessarily remember me [it was 26+ years ago and hundreds of patients later afterall], but it was neat meeting my first doctor. The room was filled with old toys that he said he hasn't changed since probably I was his patient. Sandy saw a toy and remembered it from days back when and said it was probably a toy I played with while waiting to see Dr. Onate. He asked his receptionist to look for my chart. It consisted of a 5 x 8 sized card with a few ailments listed for reasons of a visit. Apparently, I was a very healthy little girl. He told us we could take it so we could make a copy of it for me.

After that visit, we made our way back to the Shelter. We had a few minutes to freshen up before needing to leave for Mitch and Ruth's house in order to meet them, Michelle, and Tammy for a drive up to Tops. We picked up a friend, Amy, and Marlys along the way. We hit a bit of traffic due to a long processional, but eventually made it. On our drive up, Carmelita called Marlys and told her to turn the TV on to Channel 7. Marlys tried to tell her we were in a car, but Carmelita seemed too excited and distracted to hear her. She again instructed Marlys to turn on the tv because Ch 7 was airing my interview. Everyone was excited at the thought, but disappointed that we were missing it. I couldn't help but shrug my shoulders, because we'd sat twice already to catch the interview after being told it would air.. for nothing.

It was dark by the time we got there.. and cold/drizzling. Tops is a favorite site seeing spot that sits about 2000 feet above sea level along the Busay Hills. The view was breathtaking. And for a moment, it felt like a San Franciscan night.