I want to live like a local

A friend asked me why I am in Vegas again.

I want to live here like a local. No, I am not retiring here. I am just curious. Curious about how people live here. What’s life outside of the casinos.

My curiosity started in 2016. My sister and I came here in November 2016. I stayed for two weeks. Then came back for the December 31, 2017 New Year celebration, then went back, and back, and back, and so far, this has been my sixth visit I think in the past 14 months alone. Am glad my husband shares the same curiosity. He likes the golf courses, the wide roads, the restaurants, friendly locals, the compactness of the valley. Lately he’s been more talkative. He engages in conversations with the Starbucks people, Home Depot employees, KFC cashiers, Vietnamese Restaurant waitress. Para daw ma-practice accent nya.

We like the feeling of belonging in a community. We see people walking their dogs, old couples playing pingpong together and sharing laughter. People know who their neighbors are.

I will be visiting Vegas maybe two more times this year. The annual Tan family grand reunion will be held here in May and I will be the host. Edmund is helping out in the logistics. This would be the first time we’re doing an out of state get-together for a change naman. Para hindi boring. We need to rent three houses or 10 hotel rooms to accommodate all of us.
Then after that maybe I will come here again one more time this year. Maybe in November for the SEMA show.

I am sure in two years my interest will start waning. I would probably start going to Florida or Texas, who knows. What I know is that I now have this big desire to live like a local in other cities. My husband said this is what I get from watching the HGTV channel. I will hop from one state to another not as a tourist. I am past that. I want to mingle with locals and do what locals do. The only way I could do that is to stay longer in one place and not stay in a hotel. The things that I want to do are petty but I want to do them anyway.

A few nights ago I met a full-blooded white American who was born in Ohio. She got married that’s why she moved to Vegas. I was surprised when she told me her dream is to visit New York. What? An American hasn’t been to New York? Sa bagay, ako nga hasn’t been to Bohol.
I asked what’s keeping her? Her husband was always busy and kept promising her that they would visit NY. I told her to go this March. If her husband can’t then leave him and go by herself. I think she should not waste time in postponing it. She’s 59.

I am not getting any younger. My high school classmate Maria Clara died two weeks ago. Patty died last week.
While I still can, I will.