Rosalinda Pertierra Lejano is the name I was baptized with. My husband loves telling that to friends and acquaintances, having them try with their Francophone tongues to pronounce all those hard consonants and abrupt vowels, especially attempt to roll their Rs. And then the coup de grace: He tells them that the name means "beautiful rose from a land far away."
"So, your life, it is predestined, yes?" Cesar proclaimed the other night. Naturally immensely flattered, I preened and I smiled, may have even fluttered my lashes ohmigosh, all in the effort to channel the spirit of Jeanette's blush pink Rosa alba.
Then yesterday the universe decided that lately I've been having too good a time and made homesickness strike. I woke up this morning cursing my parents for not having had the foresight to name me otherwise.
My preferred options: Sampaguita Satabi Ngcornerstore, Gumamela Sa Kabilangkalye, maybe even Bougainvillea Ngkapit Bahay.
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PROBINSIYANA: in Filipino, a female living in the province. PROVENCIANA: a career-driven Filipina gives up life in third-world-but-happening Philippines to resettle as immigrant housewife in the middle of first-world nowhere known as Provence.
6 comments:
Mmmm, Aigues-Mortes is such a lovely place! hello, and thanks for leaving a comment. My name is Kala, and I live in Aix-en-Provence, which is 30 minutes from Marseille, and I've been here for 2 years. Yes, it is hard, and yes, stepping on dog poo is the most horrible feeling in the world, but yes, living here gets easier as time goes by --- with a little (i mean HUGE) help of friends, fellow pinoys, and a bottle of Clairette (Tradition, not Brut heheh).
So, if there's anything I can do to help the ease the transition a bit, do send me an email at belishabeacon20 AT yahoo DOT com. I've met some really great people in the south of France (I see you've left a comment on another Filipina's blog), and it would be class if we could all meet together one of these days. :-)
Love your entries!
typo: i mean to help ease. Serves me right for not spellchecking, boo!
Hey apol! Aigues-Mortes was the first place I visited when I arrived France. My husband has relatives in Montpellier & maybe we could bump into each other the next time we're there!
Well, yeah, France really has a way of redefining adjustment. They say things are always a matter of getting used to - YEAH RIGHT - but there is also something about France that makes your stay bearable. I guess that's the "I learned" part for me.
Like my other neighbor Kala mentioned, we could always share cheese to go with that whine :) Ok, on with your posts!
oh, yes, please, let's all have cheese and whine! aigues mortes is very lovely, but ohmy now that's it's winter it's SO dead. love all these birds though. makis, e-mail me whenever you're going to montpellier, we can hang out. it's so good to know there are other tropical island princesses stranded hereabouts :)
P.S. May be too late for you, Kala, but did take your tip and have allowed anonymous comments here. Thanks!
Hi Apol. Believe it or not, my mom's sister in Roxas City was named Maria Sampaguita Blanca Flor de National de Pilipinas Altavas Conlu Dadivas. The "Maria" was only added for the Catholic name. Her nickname is Peggy. When she found out that her birth records got burned, she immediately applied for just "Blanca"! (Am a friend of Sandra Gfeller and Tina Fernandez)
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