I think this blog should not only include just my wishes but I want to share others’ as well. Recently I received this e-mail from my aunt and here she described her own dreams as well. (The following e-mail has been edited to protect her privacy and the people she mentioned):

” I recently enrolled in a course Introduction to Viticulture. It is something interesting to me, having to do with grape growing and possibly in the future go to winemaking so I can use my food technology background.

I might even get a manual job picking grapes or looking after grape vines or seedlings in the future. Who knows? Life is full of surprises; It is an adventure, really!

I am happy for you that some of your ‘dreams’ come to reality too. I also notice the Filipino trait of helping others specially our family and relatives. I think that is not only Filipino but universal. But sadly in some affluent societies like Australia, the idea of helping family or relatives in terms of time and money is not as prevalent. I know of Filipino family members who are ‘heroes’ in their own right, like some of our countrymen working abroad just to have money for their family at home to make both ends meet, to send their children to school and be educated so that they can live a ‘better’ life for themselves and their children. It is very touching to see it myself ( as I have seen and met some of them in Belfast) and learn of those stories from elsewhere. My niece used to tell me what she saw in Dubai, the first time she was there, and she can not help but say that those Filipinos, Indians, Pakistanis and other Asians working there, away from their families are sacrificing a lot to the point of being ‘heroes’ to their families.

I also experienced it with my parents, they literally ‘made night into day’ to have us educated and I think their dreams for their children have materialized in the sense that we, their children live in a ‘better’ circumstances, materially, than they. I can not speak for their social life as they also had a ‘life’ so to speak!

One of my dreams nowadays is to teach my grandchildren Tagalog so that they can pick up Filipinos talking our language wherever, and that they would feel joy in having a conscious identity of their Filipino heritage, a legacy I dream of leaving them. At present, I have told my son and daughter in law that when my granddaughter and I are on our own, I will only talk to her in Tagalog so that she can pick up some Pilipino words! What do you think of that dream?

I dream also of getting a paid job sometime in the future, after all these trips, and even at my age. One of these days, I dream of landing in a job that I will truly enjoy, probably only part-time, so it is not that stressful compared to other jobs I had. We can always dream, can’t we?

I read somewhere, that happiness can also be a decision; so we can decide to be happy whatever our material circumstances are, and count our blessings, without comparing ourselves with others. Life is also a personal philosophy and a choice and decision, ‘ika nga’. Whatever that means to other people, but its meaning is very clear to me, as I dream of ‘that’ choices and decisions all the time!”

I wish that my aunt’s dreams will come true as well.