Did I come like a thunderbolt to a few Filipinos who knew me in Myanmar during the Star ng Pasko Christmas party held at the Parkroyal Hotel on December 6, 2015? Well, that should have not been a surprise at all. Myanmar is home because of all Kababayan who love to lend a helping hand to build solidarity and raise the banderole of Filipino identity.
I don't need to be settled in Myanmar to be a part of the community. In my heart, I had been and will always be a part of our rapidly growing population in this wonderful country. Besides, Bangkok is more or less than an hour flight away. To see the community and celebrate with them during major events is a joy beyond compare.
I was overwhelmed by the crowd who turned up last night. There used to be less than 500 pinoys in Myanmar documented as registered Filipinos in the embassy. According to his excellency, Ambassador Alex Chua, there's more than a thousand pinoys in Myanmar registered nowadays. That's double (or triple) the population after two (or three) years that I was away. That means, yesterday's crowd (around 400 plus) was phenomenal!
There are many things I am thankful for during my visit. A few of them are the following:
- the PILIPINAS.MM officers of 2015 for making me busy with the audio-visuals. There were many technical challenges including incompatibility of my Mac with the hotel's projector, converting all slideshows to videos that can be played in Windows, to name a few. But they looked after me and provided all the help they can give to do my task in spite of them being occupied with their respective tasks. Thank you and kudos for a job well done!
- old friends' faces for understanding that I didn't have enough time to socialise. Even for a short period of time, I was able to take a glance at your beautiful and dazzling faces. It meant a lot to me to be greeted and welcomed into our community. As I said, you are the reason why I keep coming back here. My commitment to you as the admin of the Myanmar Pinoy Connect FB group is as faithful as my excitement to be here in Myanmar with you. Again, I don't need to be here to support and lend a helping hand. Thank you.
- new faces in the community. They are the new coals that keep the fire burning - the reason why the officers have been working hard and working late to come up with an event as grandiose as last night was. Did you know that the president's apartment became a warehouse of gifts from the sponsors? Did you know that they wake up early and sleep late to pull the Xmas party off together? Sometimes they even forget to take their lunch because they were so busy. I can't imagine the stress and the pressure. The community apparently was their inspiration.
On another note, Christmas and New Year is the time of the year when we reflect on how our lives have been for the past years. It's the season to forgive and be forgiven. We don't need to be so spiritual to understand this. I was hurt. We get hurt. I hurt others. We hurt others. I was wronged. We were wronged. I wronged others. We wronged others. That's how life plays. I have been through ups and downs. I'm sure everyone does. Everything that happened has happened to teach us. The only question is: did we learn from them? I, for certain, have learned. It's been a long time. I had buried those rubbish six feet on the ground already. Where I am right now is where I chose to be and I blame no one for that. The most important thing - we all have been moving on with our lives with peace of mind.
What does one want to see in 2016 for the community in Myanmar? More kababayan coming in from the Philippines and more to lend a helping hand to build PILIPINAS.MM, the Filipino Community in Myanmar. Our FB group, the Myanmar Pinoy Connect, is one with you as the FB group's role is to connect Filipinos all over the country. Of course, my hands are long enough I could reach you all from Bangkok!
Thank you po sa lahat ng kababayan sa Myanmar! Merry Christmas po and have a prosperous new year! Kyisu tin bar de, sawasdeekrup and mabuhay!
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