More Than I Thought Could Exist

I've been fortunate enough to have visited many places across the globe in my lifetime. Each place has had its challenges but they've always been outweighed by its benefits.

For example, the Philippines is hot as fuck. The humidity doesn't help. The fact that I barely know anyone there definitely doesn't help. But my parents made it a point to visit every few years(by my count, I've gone 7 times now), because they wanted my sister and I to see how rough it is out there. They wanted us to see how our relatives lived, how close we were to living that lifestyle. My parents never admitted to it, but I'm sure that was an element of why they were so adamant on going so often. They wanted us to see homeless people littering(no pun intended) the streets of Manila. They wanted us to see how our cousins continue to be happy and content with what little money they had. They might not have very many possessions, but I'll be damned if they weren't killing that damn "Otso otso" dance, lol.

When we went to Tokyo, it wasn't under the best circumstances. My Auntie, who had married a Japanese man, had lived in Tokyo with him and their 3 daughters for a few years now and was well established as a housewife, taking care of the kids while her husband worked flying helicopters in and around Tokyo. One day her husband was walking around the neighborhood when a teen driver ran him over, killing him.

When my Mom got the news, she didn't hesitate in taking my sister and I out of school. We caught a flight the next day to Tokyo, where we would be the only real family my Auntie would have during that time. My sister and I were excited to see one of the major cities of the world, but we knew that we weren't there on vacation; we were there to show just how strong family is. We didn't have that much money back then(we never really have, lol), but the quickness and decisiveness my mom showed with that entire experience will stick with me forever. My sister and I might not have gotten to see as much of Tokyo as we would have wished, but I know I learned so much from that trip.

I don't even know what the point of this post is, lol. But damn it's therapeutic to recount all these things