Best Friend

Sorry, my best friend doesn't want to be discovered had to put a disguised on her. 😉

My best friend Beth say’s when she talks to me like her tongue is twisted for me talking to her English and Tagalog into a sentence. She say's I talk too fast that she has a hard time picking up the story I am telling her. She gets lost and tells me to repeat myself.

I have known Beth for a long time. We have known each other ever since I started living in the Philippines when I was still single.

I met Beth when I decided to visit the Philippines with my mom. We had stayed with her best friend since grade school. My mom's best friend had children of her own. I began hanging out with her son Jim who was almost the same age as me.

Jim had introduced to me his friends whom had a party at his friend's house. That time I brought my cousin Kate with me. She was visiting and she had stayed with me the whole time.

Kate and Carmina

At that time there we're so many new faces and that is when I met Beth with other guy friends I also met.

I started hanging out with them and learn to play badminton even if it wasn't my type of sport.

We started going out in groups and they had teased me with one guy in our group. You know how it is when you’re young you tend to develop feelings for each other.

Of course it didn't last since it became a long distance relationship and we lived in to separate worlds.

I had returned back home in California and after a year I had decided to live in the Philippines for one year.

I had enjoyed myself on my last visit this time I wanted to see if my life would be better if I became independent living on my own.

Beth had driven me around in her car and we always went out every day.

Beth was my body guard or my third wheel every time I had dated someone. I never wanted to be alone as I was dating someone in the Philippines.

I grew up with a strict parent and I wasn't allowed to do certain things. I still am simple as not what people have an impression of Filipino people living in the States all their life. They think we are wild and we are the opposite of the old fashion Filipino that grew up here.

I met people who wanted to have a fling with me thinking I would give myself to them for the fact they knew I grew up from the States. I ended up staying away from those types of people.

People here judge you thinking you are just like someone else.

They think if a Filipino person has colored eyes or color their hair Blondie. They tend to judge them trying hard to be an American.

We notice life and their trends people who live in the Philippines want to be white and fair skin. The people living in the States want to be dark skin just like the native Filipino skin.

Everyone wants to change how they look to be different or to be like someone.

I choose to be who I am the person who is fair and white skin. No matter if I lay in the sun my color of my skin doesn't change. When my mom was pregnant with me she said, she had craved singkamas and coconut. That is why my skin is so white.

People mistake me as being Chinese or Japanese for the fair skin I have.

I have friends who tell me every time I visit California how I can still have white skin if I live in a tropical climate.

I tease them I stay indoor inside a home that has air-conditioned.

Even thought my friendship didn't disappear with my friends until we still keep in touch now that I am the same world as them.

My best friend Beth I only see her sometimes only when she is free from work. Once you have a family of your own priorities changes between friendships. You just try to find time to squeeze in to see each other.

Life is different when you're single you tend to have more time to go out with your friends. As you get older you would rather stay home and relax after a long day at work or from your regular routine.