Dinner with Renee and Bertrand

May 16, 2019, Thursday, Quezon City

Ever since Bertrand arrived in the Philippines two years ago, I have been telling my husband to invite him over. Oyen and Edmund frequently talked about how genuinely nice the guy was. I was just worried that our house would be a long drive through heavy traffic from where he was staying.

This is Filipino hospitality. When there are visitors to our country, we make them feel at home. We want to show that they are truly welcome. Sometimes expats could feel at a lost when moving to a new country.

The dinner finally happened although it was no longer a welcome dinner but a despedida because he would be leaving the Philippines this June and would probably be transferred to another country.

Bienvenue chez nous

It was a delight to have Renee and Bert. It was very easy to entertain them. I didn’t even have to try. We were always laughing. They were very natural and simple in a way.
My family truly enjoyed having them.

They fell in love with our country and all its nuisances. They see beauty amidst the chaos. Renee’s favorite place is Divisoria and they find cockfighting fun to watch. They only have the nicest words for our country and its hospitable people. They have been visited by some of their friends and family and they too all enjoyed their stay in the Philippines. Renee and Bert are toying with the idea of coming back soon and stay a few months in a year in Manila. A very big compliment to the Philippines.

Les fleurs sont belles, merci.

After they had left I ate again. I ate a big bowl of mushroom truffle soup. Ang sarap ng luto ko syempre.