Photos et lettres des Philippines, de France et d'ailleurs

Dhana lives in France for more than two years now. Studying French in the Alliance Française since her arrival, she quickly learned the language until the birth of our daughter Christelle on April 21, 1982, put an end to her studies.

She also adapted herself quickly in France. However after a "incident" in a well known Parisian restaurant where she ordered Coke with a sauerkraut, a friend, Jean-Philippe undertook to initiate her to the pleasure of the French wines successfully.

Her accountant sister Leth had emigrated in Singapore and there had met Jeff a Singaporean graphic designer. Their marriage was scheduled for May 1983 and we were invited as well as her younger sister Leng. Furthermore in the absence of the father and as the husband of the eldest sister, it was my duty to give the bride away.

So we were ready to leave for four weeks. One week in Singapore for the marriage and three weeks in the Philippines for our vacations.

It was a beautiful ceremony and the dinner that followed in a famous Chinese restaurant was fantastic. However I had taken precautions to preserve my bottle of Bordeaux wine for my own use.

 In the Philippines, my mother-in-law and Leng had moved to a small subdivision's house in the Manila suburbs. At the time there was still rice fields and trees in the surroundings. Nowadays there is nothing left but concrete.

I was not enjoying my vacations and I would have liked to return to France after only a few days there. It should be said that it was an abnormally hot month of May and the temperatures ranged between 38° and 40° Celsius. The rooms did not have air-conditionings and the brownouts were so frequent that the electric fans could hardly cool me. I often felt asleep only around 1 a.m. or 2 a.m to be awaked at 5 a.m. by the cocks and the noise of people already risen.

In short I had not yet had a crush on the country nor found my marks and I was happy to go back to Paris.