Myla Katzav

If you blind fold me and let a number of women pass close to me and one of them is my mother, I would instantly know her.  As a child, when she would go on a trip to Manila, my father would find me inside my mother's closet, smelling her clothes.  And I would be comforted because in there, I feel like I am still engulfed in her embrace.  Oh it was heaven! My earliest recollection of how clingy I was to her were my daily morning routine of going up on the roof of our white volkswagen that has an electric fan instead of an AC installed, holding the edges tightly in the hopes that when she rides it, I will still be there close to her.  Unfortunately, this wasn’t such a successful habit because as I always find myself up there, our helper would always take me down in a jiffy.  So, all my tears and my energy were wasted and yet everyday, I found myself doing it….never gave up. I was 4 years old. 

When we moved to Manila, I recall crying on the way to my mom's office either in a jeepney or crossing the road…I cried and cried and the only time I stopped was when I would see her. 

As a child, my mother was everything to me. I adored her.  Every night, she came first in my prayers. When she was late to come home from work, I cant sleep and waited for her and prayed very hard for God to send my angels to make sure she was safe and protected. And He never failed me. 

When I was a little older and can commute, I prefered waiting for her in her office no matter what time she finished just to make sure she has someone to accompany her back home.  I felt I couldn’t take any risk of not being there for her.  So while she was busy with her transactions, I just sat on the couch and watched her….and I felt at peace.

Even now, she still belongs at the top of my prayers and I always think about her every second of my days.  I miss my mother so much and one of the treats of the week is having to call her and talk to her until we run out of topic.

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Categories: My own "Exodus"

As a child growing up in the province, believe it or not, I cannot recall any day or night that I was not happy.  Life was simple and so happiness was easy to achieve.  I was surrounded by family all the time: my aunts looked after us when my parents were working, my grandparents doted on us, God was the center of our small world.  

And I had my man always there to lift me up through his words or just by being there.  He called me his darling and it sent me to heaven.  He is my Daddy, who else? My Daddy, without him knowing, has contributed a lot to my strength and my intense passion for people I care.  

Whenever someone would tease me about my big eyes being puffy most of the time or someone would say that I look like a frog, I ran to him. He would say: “Darling, your eyes are unique and to me, they are the most beautiful eyes in the world!”. Seventeen words that kept me going through life especially at times when it gets tough.  Seventeen words that reminded me that to him, I am the best!  Seventeen words that told me I can do this..I can do that…and if I fail, in his eyes, I am always a winner.

 

The other set of words he said that stayed with me were:  “You may not respect me or other people, but you have to respect your mother”. Fifteen words that made me say no to any temptaion during college.  Fifteen words that pushed me to study and work hard and behave.  Fifteen words that helped me treat people well.

 

But these words were put to a test when once, we had a crisis in the family.  I failed him big time and broke his heart..just as it did mine.  But for a heart to be whole again, it needs to go back to its source..and he was mine and so I had to find my way back to him no matter if it took years and many tears.

My Daddy may not know this but I melt in his presence.  That his "no" would send me crashing while his "yes" would put a big smile in my heart.  And up until now, whenever I feel vulnerable or afraid or threatened, I hear those words, his words, and all my insecurities vanish just like it did when I was a little girl.

My Daddy may not know this but I melt in his presence.  That his “no” would send me crashing while his “yes” would put a big smile in my heart. And up until now, whenever I feel vulnerable or afraid or threatened, I hear those words, his words, and all my insecurities vanish just as it did when I was a little girl.

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Categories: My own "Exodus"

Today, I got a beautiful email from a dear friend in London.  Apparently, she read my blog.  It made me reflect about friendship…and I had to write about it, breaking my rule of not posting any article on a weekend.

 

She called herself an absentee friend..well, I am guilty of that too and I apologize for it as well. 

 

We knew each other from college.  We did not hang out immediately but somehow, our similar schedules and easy-going attitudes pushed us to form our own group.  A group composed of two probinsiyanas (Tacloban and Zamboanga), one semi-probinsiyana (Pampanga) and the city girl. We had it easy in college..our course was the easiest after all.  They had boyfriends and I felt I had one too…just watching and listening to them blabber about it non-stop specially when they got into fights or when we went on stake-outs until 3 am .  They introduced me to a guy from another university who became my “first” boyfriend but who went missing after a month when my brother, cousins and some neighbors threatened him with an idea of a gun.  We continued being friends after college and even got closer as we started to carve our prints in the corporate world.  We shared thousands of dinners after work, slept over in one’s apartment for weeks, experienced a horrible earthquake and cried buckets of tears together.

 

And since we parted ways physically..somehow, our friendship took the same fate.  But today…is different because her mail redefined our bond.  And I quote her: 

 

I try hard to make friends here in London and up to now I have never really found the kind of friendship I've shared with you and the 2 other girls....and I've missed you so much guys...I for one can relate to your feelings on how it's like to be homesick and there's that rebelling attitude of consciously or unconsciously refusing to embrace change....I look for you guys in any potential friend I meet here but never measure up...but after reading your blog...guess what?! I've realized I don't need new friends, I don't need to find new ones that I could genuinely trust and completely be myself...I always have you guys  and I should not allow whatever distance we have now to get in the way....we can still be close and be there for each other in spite the miles apart..

 

I used to explain to my husband everytime he asked me why I don’t make any effort to make friends here in Israel: That we (my friends and I back home) are like old trees..you cannot change the way our branches and leaves and trunks are formed unless you cut it and it dies.  

 

And Sally, just like you, I haven’t made new good friends here because what I have back home and scattered all over the world, are enough best friends who are capable of changing a regular day into something as beautiful as today.

Tags: friend, friends, friendship, old friends
Categories: My own "Exodus"

I remember her in her 30's.  She was beautiful period. I often asked her why she never entered any beauty pageant because she's got the look.  She's got sexy lean fair legs which she only showed-off at home and at the beach.  Nice medium-sized boobs and small waist line.  She used to weigh 80 lbs in college that was why she maintained such a figure even after 3 kids. But its her face that was a give-away...soft features: small thin lips with well maintained set of teeth, smiling eyes, cute mestiza nose and jet black hair. 

Every week, I saw her sporting different shades of red on her long well-maintained nails.  And she loved to dress up...shoes and bags always terno and if it came with a belt, she would take it as well. Too bad she needed to wear uniform at work except on Fridays. Oh and she loved to change her hair style...either a bob, big curls or boy cut. I saw one of her pictures when she was much younger and was sporting a long thick straight black hair...I thought, again, she could easily have won in a beauty pageant.

Even when she got pregnant with her youngest son, she never let go of her looks and style...always buying new clothes with matching shoes and bags.  And she never missed out on her nightly beauty routine.

She was born in a very poor condition because of war...a nipa hut measuring 2m X 2m with no electricity and water.  Her father had to cross mountains and rivers just to have her baptized.  Her mother used to pay a woman for her breast milk because she hadnt any. A small portion of their lives was spent in a boat.   

As a child, she wanted to be a nun.  This explained why she never thought about beauty pageants or having hard, hard fun (plus there were the strict, serious parents).  Growing up, this desire changed to that of becoming a teacher.  I guess she got it from her mother who was an educator all her working life. But then, in college, she took up economics and had to leave home.

She remained conservative and a devoted Catholic that was why she never really went out on dates except for those few times and with a chaperon (her younger sister). Her first suitor was a guy whose family name was like hers and just because of this, she turned him down.  He became a priest.  There were others but somehow, they never got to second base..probably she was just too naive to acknowledge their interest on her or she was just too blunt in telling them off. 

The only guy who won her heart eventually became her husband.  At first, when he came to visit (this was after getting permission from her father), she would read a book in front him in the hopes that he will go away..but he still persisted..and she continued reading.  Finally, her aunt confronted her..telling her that the guy must really, really like her and thought he was a good catch because he was a professional. Even when she attended college in the metropolis, he was around..fetching her from school.  Their dates were mostly spent in the bus and in parks with him carrying a portable radio so they will have music along the way.

So they got married.  On the morning after her first night with him, she woke up to find kids peeking at their windows...they were her husband's nephews and nieces.  After a month, she got pregnant...gave birth to a son...nearly died a few days after from exhaustion and fatigue.  But had three more kids after.

She worked most of her children's growing up years and was a devoted wife.  Her children, specially her daughter, adored her like there was no one else in the world. I always thought how lucky her husband was because during mealtime, when he was not around, she would keep the best part of the meat for him.  She also didnt have friends whom she could go out regularly with....because all her time was spent with the family.

Now she is a retiree, a grandmother and a friend.  And still beautiful period...inside and out. 

I am her daughter.

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Categories: My own "Exodus"

F riends come and friends go and when they do, they

R ip your heart to pieces

I t even becomes worse when its your time to leave

E nding all the coming days that you meant to spend with them

N otwithstanding the

D istance, you manage: Facebook, gmail, yahoomail, ym, skype, cellphone

S ome friends are gone forever

H owever new ones come but can never replace the ones you've lost

I thank all my friends, you know who you are (if youre not here, its just that i cant find any pic...its past midnight!!)

P romise we'll hang out some day there or in Israel...

   

 

 

 

 

 

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Categories: My own "Exodus"

  

 

 My husband found a job at a multinational company in HongKong.  We lived in a paradise called Discovery Bay (DB) in Lantau Island.  It is only about 20 minutes from the airport by bus and 23 minutes to Central via ferry (open 24 hours), which brings you straight to IFC Mall, the tallest building in HK (heard there's  much taller building being constructed). Walk  a few minutes and you will find other ferry stations that will bring you to other islands or destinations like Tsim Tsat Tsui which will only take you about  5-6 mintes to get there. There are two other ferries stationed in different areasof DB that will bring you to nearby islands like Mui Woo (10-20 minutes) and Peng Chau.

DB is surrounded by mountains and two bays.  It boasts of a golf course on one of its peaks where a residential area of private houses was built for the more affluent. It is organized perfectly that every residential area or village (there are 19) has its own playground/s and park/s nearby.  The bigger parks were a blend of well manicured gardens abloom with flowers, water and rocks.   It is also the only development in HongKong that allows pets to roam freely.  Every afternoon, you see high-breed well-trained dogs  roaming the parks/grounds without leash, following their masters.

  

 No cars were allowed in DB.  There were buses that had specific routes and time to go from one village to the DB plaza where all commercial and entertainment activities were located and where, the ferry from Central is stationed.  Special buses ply the route to the airport every 20 minutes, to Tung Chung which will take you to a huge outlet mall, the cable cars to Tung Chung Village (a tourist attraction where the largest Bronze Buddha can be seen from a mountain top) and to Sunny Bay Station that takes you to Disney Land.  There were taxis too that goes within the community and if residents want some privacy and more freedom to move, they can buy or rent golf carts.

I think half of the residents of DB are foreigners that is why, aside from the Chinese School, an International School was also built. There were many programs for mothers, babies and toddlers combined as DB is a community of young families.  Its Club House even has swimming pools for babies as young as 3 months old.  It has soft rubbery ground and giant water toys. There were 5 pools in the clubhouse, mostly for chidren.

  

The DB Plaza is the meeting place for residents and visitors alike. It is also the heart of the parties and happenings.  The main and only grocery of the whole community is located there as well as numerous restaurants (Indian, Chinese, of course!, Japanese, Seafood, Brazilian, American ,etc), shops, pharmacies, bookstores, pet shops, beaty salon, medical and dental clinics, dance school, etc.  The most attractive part is the latest line of restaurants overlooking the bay.  

   

 We had fantastic view of the place where we lived.  We can see the bay stretching to Central HongKong with big ships and ferries both modern and typical Chinese. At night, it is more spectacular because of the multitude of lights from the vessels and the community itself.  At the back of our unit were the mountains.

DB is also open to tourists as some condo unit owners allow short-term stays.  When I go back to HongKong, DB will definitely be my destination to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tags: discovery bay, hongkong, lantau island
Categories: My own "Exodus"

My journey to Israel started with…EL AL.  I was  7 months pregnant with Ben while Rachel  was 1 year and 7 months old.  Of course, Haim was with us.  The flight from HongKong was close to 11 hours (which should have been shorter if they have friendly relations with their neighboring countries!)  but already, I got stressed out without even boarding the plane from all the questioning we got from the staff.  By the way, this is very unique only to El Al.  Before checking in the luggage, there were tables set up  for the staff  to check your suitcase in case they feel you are a "threat' to the flight.  They ask you questions pertaining to the luggage.  The queu can be quite long specially with Fiipinos like me who brought an entire life's possessions (I didn’t want to pack it together with the container that was coming via sea).  The next round of interview came when we entered the boarding area.  Even during the luggage check, they were very cordial, even apologetic specially when they have to check each and every item (this didn’t happen to me at that time). The staff do explain to you that this is for security purposes and we all know that Israel is one of the highly secured countries because of their "sensitive" location and "un"friendly neighbors. 

The airplane was new..spacious, clean, modern not unlike the previous trip I took when I swore a twin engine plane to Palawan was better!!! (just kidding!) The stewardesses/stewards were all young and good looking…and I suppose friendly because they interacted a lot with the locals in Hebrew.  The nice thing about being in El Al was, aside from feeling safe, that there was a certain warmth that I have never experienced in other airlines.  People moving from their seats to check out on friends, people making new acquaintances like they were friends for a very long time and their food bar was open all the time for anyone to get drinks, food, heat water, make coffee….i mean, you will never go hungry with El Al! The food bar even became a meeting place for mothers and fathers who regularly needed to either fill up the baby bottles or heat water. It has also become a social area because passengers flock not just for food but to chat. And you can sense almost instantly how accommodating they were to mothers and babies and this did not come from the staff alone but even the passengers!  

The interiors of the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv is made of the famous limestone blocks from Jerusalem.  It is one of the most beautiful and modern airports I've been to.

It was a breeze going through the immigration officer as compared to some "not-so-nice" stories from other travellers.  Perhaps its because I am married to a citizen of the country. 

The best part was the arrival area.  You see people holding flowers and balloons in anticipation of the arrival of their loved ones. We got balloons and flowers too.  

Tags: el al
Categories: My own "Exodus"

According to the website of the Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv, there are 31,000 OFW's in Israel mostly working as caregivers and a few in hotels and restaurants.  Majority are females and living in Tel Aviv.

I look forward to going to the park near the mall on Saturdays because I see a group of Filipinos there with their old wards.  I love chatting with them and getting more tips about where to get Philippine-made products.

Below is a story of one OFW who has touched our lives and changed the way I see our fellow-kababayans. This is from our stay in HongKong and Singapore…

J was our only househelp throughout our stay overseas.  The first time I saw her, I thought she looked unhealthy and a little tomboyish.  Short, thin, dark-skinned with crew-cut hair, her smile was her only give-away that she possessed a most beautiful heart..enclosed in steel.

Her frailty came from eating less and working almost non-stop for long hours.  Her previous employer was a HongKong Chinese who strictly monitored her by installing video cameras in and out of the house.  She wasn't even allowed to talk to her fellow Filipino neighbor while she was gardening! She worked until late at night, sometimes beyond midnight when her boss came home asking to be served with dinner.  Her sleeping area was not fit for well….sleeping.

She left the Philippines when her daughter was only 2 years old and that was about 17 years ago. J has a college degree and speaks fluent English.  She is very logical and has a great initiative.  She could have easily been a successful office manager.

We never asked her to do tasks on a scheduled basis…there was no need because she did everything automatic.  She was more than what we needed and she loved our Rachel like she was her own and Rachel became very fond of her.  Haim and I made it a point to make her feel a part of our little family.  She had her own room and cabinet for her few possessions.  She slept on a double-sized bed with a night lamp and the Purpose-Driven Life.  Her window overlooked the beautiful gardens of Discovery Bay and the bay that stretched to Central HongKong.

It was a challenge to make her sit and watch a movie, enjoy her meal or make her take afternoon naps. Rachel succeeded though in making her relax and smile a lot. Through her, J became a part of our family.

It was J's eyes that spoke of her innermost feelings..which she very well succeeded to hide for some time.  You can see how it lightens up when she talks about her daughter who is taking up Nursing Degree back home and how she will join her in America when she finds a job there.  The same eyes would turn sad, regretful, guilty, frustrated, broken hearted..when her daughter calls her only to ask for more money.  J never saved a peso for herself.  She sent most of her salary to the Philippines and the little that was left, she used to spend during her days-off (she had Saturdays and Sundays off while the law only states Sundays). At times, her husband would cheat on her by doubling the amount needed for her daughter's education.  Her husband, by the way, was not working.

She came with us to Singapore and went with us exploring the country.  When we decided to move to Israel, she opted to go back to HongKong as she is more familiar with the place and was able to find an employer there.

Before J left, we had a long discussion about how she should plan for her future through saving some of her salary.  I gave her advices and I could see tears falling down her cheeks.  Tears that clearly stated that she was very, very tired and very, very lonely too.  We gave her 2 months' salary when she left with an airplane ticket and some cash for her airport transfer.  We had a tearful goodbye.

I tried getting in touch with J but last time I was able to contact her daughter, I learned that she was back in HongKong working.  She has my email address but I never got any message from her…I guess this is where her heart of steel works by.

To J and the rest of the Filipino OFWs, you have my deepest respect for giving it all...your heart and soul...for someone you love...no matter if that someone would not love you back just the same.

Tags: filipino, ofw, israel, tel aviv
Categories: My own "Exodus"