San Fernando City, La Union Philippines

To summarized my visit to my birthplace is nostalgia. I maybe seeing it for the last time, so there's sadness. I am thankful to the Lord that Jesse took me back and I had the opportunity to see it again and to show it to him how my life was. I am so blessed to be living in America and with all the opportunity that it gave me. I am so thankful. I wish some ungrateful Americans can see how fortunate they are. I will always remember my Uncle (the one who brought us to America) words "You are lucky you came to America."

The City of San Fernando has changed a lot through the years. It is a lot older and more congested than ever. I've never seen so many tricycle (that's a motorcycle with a covered sidecar). Aside from the jeepney, it is the most common mode of transportation to a lot of people. Jesse said, when he comes here to retire, it will be his way to make a living. I told him, it's okay by me and I will come and visit him once in a while when the weather is nice. The weather was in the 80's and humid.

In front of the City Hall. There's not separation between church and state here because inside there is nativity that is displayed. Yes, that is a tricycle on the foreground.

Those are the famous Philippine Jeepneys. We didn't get a chance to ride in one.

There's a sea of tricycles passing in front of the City Hall and Plaza. The building in the background used to be a movie theater, now it is an empty old building. There are merchants on the bottom floor. I remember going there a lot.

St William Parish Catholic Church. Used to be our family's church. This was my church for the first 18 years of my life. I was baptized as a baby in this church and so are my brothers and sisters and most of them got married in this church. I was in this church in 1983 (last time I came to the Philippines) when one of my sisters got married and I was her maid of honor.

Ahhh! The fishmarket.. it moved to another building. Of course we bought fish (tuna) and oysters and clams and seaweed. Yummmmm.

Jesse really wanted to ride the tricycle, so we rode from downtown San Fernando to my nephew's house in the barrio. It took maybe 30 minutes for $50 pesos. A little more than a dollar. I am glad the road is paved now, or it would have been a bumpy ride.

I can see that there's more progress in Korea than in the Philippines.