April 03, 2007
When organizing is left to Filipinas…
chances are the husbands will find themselves in a very aggravating situation. We all learned the hard way. What that means is being stuck in horrendous traffic, taking eternity to find parking space and getting through the mob that had descended on Washington DC the same day we decided to hold a little get-together.
We all learned being spontaneous has its price. Last Friday I informed a couple of Filipinas of the Smithsonian Kite Festival that I and the husband, along with our little man, were planning to attend the following day. Inspired by the warm weather (high 70s), the conversation kicked into high gear and before we knew it, we had agreed to go on a picnic at the Mall. There was a promise of a feast – pancit bihon, lumpia, macaroni salad, fried chicken, fish nuggets, puto and bibingka.
What we failed to factor in, however, was the fact that the Mall is 1.6 km long. An hour after the agreed time, we were still circling the mall, mumbling directions here and there but admittedly clueless on where exactly to set up our picnic. Did I mention that this happened at high noon?
Apparently, us women did it the Filipino way. Often in the Philippines things work out even if the only thing definite about social events is that there is, in fact, going to be a gathering. Location and time tend to work themselves out at the 11th hour.
We eventually found each other on a hill fronting the Washington Monument, to the relief of our husbands. We managed to salvage the rest of the day with good food and good conversation, plus the excitement on the boy’s face when he finally managed to fly his kite for the first time. That it was simply a beautiful day for outdoor fun made things even better.
But like I said, we have learned our lesson. If we intend to require our husbands’ presence in future outings, we need to get better at organizing them.
