goodbye pizza, and remember me.

it's so BIG

 My last full day in Cagayan de Oro saw a farewell party complete with massive pizzas, speeches from several people and a certificate signed by all the people I've come to appreciate during my time here.  One guy wrote his in Cebuano - get your mum to translate it - the last sentence is in Ilocano, I had to ring my Dad [who is currently in Saudi Arabia] to figure out how to write it.  Sweet.

The party continued from the Engineering Resource Center to a karaoke bar; I've been pressured into it by several groups of people for the month that I've been here and finally gave in - a trip to the Philippines without karaoke isn't a trip to the Philippines at all - and we spent far longer than I expected singing and laughing with each other there, with the men in my company choosing a hilarious amount of songs that I recognised from The Ultimate Chickflick Soundtrack (Volume One). 

Songs in Cebuano, too - one guy crooning and holding my hand while the others bickered between themselves to translate for me line by line ('why did you come into my life now - why did you come into my life when I was with someone else - why are you late - why... are you late.')

AND THEN: late night trips through the red-light district of the city to get to a 24-hour eatery to try 'RM', or 'Remember Me'. 

'You can't come to the Philippines and not try Remember Me.'

'What is it?'

'A soup.'

'What's... in it?'

'We can't tell you until you've eaten it.  But afterwards you will remember it.'

When we got to the eatery I looked up at the board and laughed when I saw 'Remember Me' as the title of a legitimate meal.  We all got a bowl (the German volunteer in our group staunchly refusing more than a spoonful) and the rest of us tucked in.  At first I'd only drink the soup - which was delicious - but was warned by others the more soup you drink, the bigger the meat gets.

I saw what they meant, although by now I started having an inkling as to what it was that I was eating.  The German's recalcitrance eventually got to me though (get AMONGST IT, frick) and I defiantly finished the whole bowl.    

Then more conversation, more laughter.  The boys walked me back to the hotel.  It's strange, goodbyes that are forever.