Hi, I'm Gabby!

Hi, I'm Gabby I am 6 years old. I love art and writing. Check out my picture I made. Isn't it cool?! It's about emotions. I also enjoy selling things in my house. I make art and my dad pays for Rm1 ( ringgit). If you want to see more of my art, pls go to
http://gabbyafrica.blogspot.com/

This blog is so cool. Hello aunties and uncles in Manila, Ms. Wee Sim, Lisa, my cousins and friends around the world, etc...please comment on my blog. Here is a picture of me holding a tarsier from Bohol, Philippines.


Love Gabby

Raising a family out of the "village"

Cherry and I have been married for 8 years and all that time, we've lived outside of the Philippines, where our nuclear family still are (parents, siblings). We started our life together in Bangkok, Thailand, then moved to Singapore, back to Bangkok, and 2 years ago, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. The kids were born in Singapore, and have lived in 3 countries since then.

We are both from close knit families, raised by loving parents and surrounded by a big group of siblings (not to mention aunts/uncles, cousins, and grandparents). Needless to say, when we first had Gabby, it was pretty much "learn as you go parenting", since we were already in singapore, and did not have the benefit of our own parents' guidance.

In this regard, I must really salute Cherry. When she first left Manila, she probably did not even know how to cook, let alone raise a child. But her mother instinct kicked in immediately. And from Gabby's day 1, we decided that we wanted to raise our kids as "open, children of the world", and expose them to as many experiences as possible, which has its plus and minuses.

For instance, even at a young age, we have tried as much as possible to bring Gabby and Dani on trips - either to new countries or discovering new places in our adopted countries. Gabby was able to see snow in New Zealand or see up close her roots in China; while Dani has had her hair braided in Bali. But more than these, we also try to expose them to different cultures, and show them that whatever differences there maybe in terms of skin color, language, religion, there are more similarities among people than differences. It also helps that they go to an international school, so their friends come from all over the world.

Secondly, we also consciously try to spend more time with the kids - which really means that weekends, I decide not to play golf. (Actually, it's really more to compensate since I come home late during weekdays). We eat out every weekend, even simple meals, and go to malls or parks. and we take them to Church.

But living outside of the "village", without the help of our "elders" also has its downside. Especially when the kids get sick (Oh no, quick, sms papa or achie Francy, who are both doctors). And I'm sure they are also recipients of our "parenting by experimentation" (how do you discipline a kid; what's the right food to give them).

All in all, I believe that raising a family has been and continues to be a great journey.

Edwin

Home? Where is Home?

"For those who are visiting, welcome to Malaysia. For those who live here, welcome home!" the Air Asia pilot enthused after landing at the Kuala Lumpur airport.

We were walking towards the immigration after 3 weeks of back breaking, but really fun vacation in Manila when our 2 little angels, Gabby and Dani circled back to the airplane. Dani kicked a stone hoping to send it flying back across 2,000 miles of clouds and into the Philippines where her Ama(s) and Angkong live. Gabby pouted, "I wish we can stay home longer".

Home? Where is home? It is quite clear that Malaysia is now their physical sense of home. Malaysia has been our home for 2 years already (a third of Gabby's life and 2/3 of Dani's were spent here in this land of intriguing diversity). But emotionally, they maybe connected somewhere else -- their stories couched closely to the loving hands that held them when they were born, to cousins and friends who shared Barbie toys with them and to the thickly woven tapestry of stories from photos of their birth and growing up years. Both our children were born in Singapore, lived for a year in Thailand and have spent their last 2 years in Malaysia. By citizenship, they are both Filipino and Singaporean and their roots are Filipino and Chinese. They are Southeast Asia and yet they are isolated -- products of third culture families.

Gabby (6 YO) and Dani (3 YO) are third culture kids, spending a significant part of their developmental years outside our culture. While they can relate to a certain extent to the abundant lights and food during the most important fiesta in the Philippines-Christmas time; to Muslims praying at mosques and feasting heartily during Hari Raya Puasa; to the dozens of oil lamps (vikkus) looking like a fairyland of lights during Deepavali in Indian streets and homes; to feasting over the delicious (yet sinful) mooncake pastry filled with sweet bean paste, lotus nuts and salted egg yolks during the Chinese mooncake festival and to the excitement of seeing water doused over cars and people, all in good fun to celebrate the Thai New Year at the peak of its hottest season in Thailand, they can never have full ownership in any.

That's why stories play an important role in our lives. For our family, our photos sizzle with real life stories about friendship and important people, places and events. Our children retrieve stories and move back through the place and time of the most important events by checking out the family scrapbook every now and then. It has been a favorite family past time!

Every life is a story. This blog is a way of sharing ours, of letting family and friends know that we maybe in one more place at one more time in the world, but we are still HERE.


Love,
Cherry