Once inside, the mood and pace changed and we felt the calm of Shabbat. We found our host, Chip, an old friend of Felix’s parents, who had been living and working in Manila for the past 10 months and was celebrating his final Shabbat there. We enjoyed the festive and relaxing Shabbat meal, which was a nice change of pace from the other Shabbat meals on our trip, and appreciated the quality time with Chip. Absolutely stuffed (we’re talking appetizers, soup, salads, two kinds of meat with sides, and dessert), we walked the 25 minutes back to our hotel through a maze of interconnected walkways and air conditioned malls. The next morning we retraced our steps back to the synagogue for services and a lovely Shabbat lunch, with both Israeli and US Ambassadors present as guests of honor. We felt well represented. Back at our hotel, Jordan took a long nap, and Felix went back to the synagogue for the end of Shabbat.
Months ago, when planning our trip, we learned of another crazy family connection to the Philippines. Felix’s great aunt and uncle (for whom he is named) sponsored the college education of a young Filipina back in the 1970s. Their daughter, Deena, who now lives in LA with her family (with whom we are very close) still keeps in touch with this “adopted sister”, Felicidad. We promised Deena that we would meet Felicidad and take her to brunch on her behalf. At noon on Sunday, we met Felicidad along with her two sisters and her son. It was a very emotional meeting for Felicidad, who was meeting a member of the family in person for the first time. We were astounded by the magnitude of the impact that the sponsorship had had on her life, and she continuously thanked us and expressed her love and gratitude for us and our family. It was a truly remarkable experience, and although the cultural gap was evident, it was a very rewarding for us. The live Skype call with Deena over dessert was the highlight, although (hey, you know us) the food was pretty good too (Jordan had the French Breakfast of truffle omelet with french pancakes; Felix had the smoked salmon omelet)! After a emotional goodbye with Felicidad and her family, we headed back to our room to pack up and prepare ourselves for that evening’s journey. We took full advantage of our late checkout and just after 4pm, we headed back into the mall to find dinner and pass the time. Dinner was a veggie open faced quesadilla and a veggie burrito ($10) at ArmyNavy, a Filipino fast food chain.
