Mother's Day

I know this is a little late but oh well. I want to wish all the mothers (and those who someday wish to be a mother) HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!! J But the person who I want to thank the most is my Mom. Thank you so much Mom. Here are 7 reasons I love my mom:

1. The first and foremost reason I love my Mom is because she loves me no matter what I do or say. She still loves me even if I yell or stomp my feet.

2. Mommy likes us to spend time as a family. Sometimes after dinner we can play a game or watch a movie. In the afternoon we might go to the market together.

3. Mommy reads aloud to me, she just finished Homer Price.

4. Mommy has homeschooled me all my life. She taught me to read and now I love to read.

5. Mommy plans me wonderful birthday parties for me. Everything goes along with the theme. For example when I was 6, I had a duck party. We did a relay race with flippers on and other duck games. My birthday cake was in a shape of a duck. There was blue punch with ducks floating in it.

6. She is an awesome hair stylist. She can make any hair style imaginable and do it well.

7. She is always happy for a hug or kiss. Even when Mommy is very busy she will stop for a hug or a kiss.

These are only 7 of the many reasons I love my wonderful Mommy!

Love you Mommy,

Alayna

Lang-ay A Little (Okay, A Lot) Late

A girl wearing an abaca fiber shirt waits nervously for

her group's turn to compete in the street dancing contest.

It appears she's not the only one.

Other girls talk while they wait.

An Igorot Princess

(or Obing nga Babae nga Napintas, if my Ilocano is correct)

Street Dancing

Boys in g-strings watching the cultural presentations.

(Don't worry, these tattoos are just ink and will wash off. In the past, the thorns would be used to prick patterns in the skin and ash would be rubbed into the holes. Much more painful.)

The Same Boys After They Saw My Camera

I love Lang-ay! I always enjoy learning about different cultures and Lang-ay and Am-among Festivals with the street dancing and cultural presentations are the perfect opportunities. Unfortunately, we were too late to get a good place to watch the most of the street dancing presentation. Thus, I took many pictures of the spectators. This was good because they were focused on something else and after two and half years of living here I try really hard not to appear like a tourist.

However, having white skin makes that difficult. We were approached by many journalists and we heard that Mom was on TV Patrol. I don't mind so much because it's fun to answer questions.

Sorry, we did not have many street dancing pictures. You can see a video from a previous Lang-ay at my parents' blog or you could comment and ask for more pictures.

Love,

Adriana