April 26, 2007

Let These Pictures Tell Half Of My Story


Since I’ve been gone for so long, I figured posting very lengthy paragraphs will bore everyone to death. So here, instead of just writing about what’s been happening to me since November, I’m posting pictures (and I mean LOTS of pictures so be patient while it loads) and will try to write as minimally as possible so this won’t end up like another novel.

Let me start with the day I left San Diego in November 2006. I was set to meet my ship (my new command) at sea, since they’ve started deployment two months earlier while I was still in Mississippi. Literally, running after the ship was no small feat at all! It took me four plane rides, three days stuck in a foreign country, four days stuck in another ship, and a helicopter ride just to get to the USS Benfold! But everything was a great adventure for me, so I wasn’t really bothered by the inconvenience of it all.

From San Diego, I flew to New York…then to London…then to Bahrain, where I spent three days in the hotel room SLEEPING because I had no liberty buddy to go out with and my body clock was still messed up. From there, I flew to Fujairah, a very desert-hot city in the United Arab Emirates. Our plane flew just above Baghdad, which I found very exciting, so I took a shot of the plane’s trail as seen in the picture.

At Fujairah, we boarded the ship called the USNS Spica where I met some new friends (of course!) who donated some clothes to me since I lost my entire seabag on my journey. It turned out that my seabag got mixed with another flight, so I’ve been living on donations for a week! They gave me socks, uniforms, undershirts, sweatpants, etc. and I was really touched by how they treated me so well, even though I was a complete stranger! I would have loved to stay longer with them, but after four days it was time for me to FINALLY (the last step!) meet the USS Benfold! I was excited as ever, I’ve been waiting to get there for months! The transfer was the best part of all---we were flown by a helicopter from the flightdeck of the Spica to the flightdeck of the Benfold. Complete with all the safety gear, here’s how I looked like…and oh, I couldn’t contain my excitement, hence the smile that almost tore my face apart.



The Ship. My first command, fresh out of bootcamp. New people, new experiences, new everything! It was not everything I expected it to be, but I carried on well. Week after week I realized I was turning into a real sailor---I worked hard until my feet couldn’t walk no more, sacrificed sleep because of duty and working hours, tested my patience because of different kinds of people I had to put up with, tolerated discomfort caused by very limited sleeping space, and most of all…fought depression caused by being out to sea for so long without seeing land for forty-something days straight! But well, though life on a ship isn’t as glamorous as I thought, I still found ways to enjoy each day…reason why I’m still alive and never thought of jumping overboard! Hehehe…



Of course, part of being in the Navy is getting a chance to see the world! And during my four-month deployment I was lucky enough to see three new places, though I should have seen more but our port visits to Dubai, Hongkong and Singapore were cancelled. But anyway, here are the places we’ve visited from November to March:

Bahrain. We went there twice, and even got to spend Christmas there. Unfortunately, I had no chance of attending mass because it is a Muslim country, all they had were mosques that overflowed with people at 5 pm everyday. Gold was abundant, though not at all cheap since the exchange rate that time was almost $3=1BD. Food was new to me, but since I eat just about anything, I tried this beef dish that smelled like someone who hasn’t taken a bath in years! I don’t exactly remember what it’s called, and though the smell was really repugnant, I still ate every bit of it…at nabusog naman ako.

Malaysia. This is my favorite of all the places we’ve visited during deployment. My money was stretched a long way, I ended up buying lots of pasalubong for my family! There’s a Chinatown in Kuala Lumpur, much like our version of Divisoria, where shoppers will go gaga over designer bags, shoes, wallets…all at a very cheap price! I also visited the Petronas Towers, one of the tallest twin towers in the world, and was completely awed at the architecture. Just being at the foot of the towers sent me the shivers, especially at night when the towers were lit like candles in the dark!

Hawaii. Our final stop before finally heading back home to San Diego. My dad joined us this time, and in three days we were able to discover Pearl Harbor, go to the Dole Plantation, experience an underwater tour, walk along the beaches, attend a Luau (Hawaiian dinner + cultural show), and go shopping of course. I bought Mai-Mai a pink ukulele which I displayed in her new Hawaiian-themed room. (Pictures of her new room later on in this entry.)

The Homecoming. The ship finally pulled in to San Diego on March 13. Since this was my first deployment, I was among the many giddy neophytes who got overly excited with our return. I don’t remember sleeping well the night before, for all I had in mind was hugging Mai-Mai when we get back.
Fast-forward three days later, I went home to Fresno to spend my 2-week leave with my family. It was the best of times. Having everyone around, though we just spent most of the time at home, reminded me of how blessed I am that I have a great family waiting for my return.

The vacation was short, but well-worth it. Let these pictures show you the fun that we had during the few days that we spent together:


Mai-mai and Bokyo having their little brother-sister moment when we went hiking.



On top of Fresno.



Todo emote!



Group picture! Andaming pamilya ang sumama!



Mahilig kami sa costume! (At Old Town @ Clovis)



Isa pang pag-emote.



Pictorial namin ni Barok. Hehe!



Barok and his flying carpet.


Finally this. Even before we bought our new house, I already volunteered myself to be the home’s interior designer. And because I was really serious about the big project at hand, I prohibited my parents from buying furniture/fixtures while I was on deployment for fear that what they will buy will ruin the theme that I had in mind. As a result, they’ve been living with nothing while I was away, save for the essentials like the basic bed, sofa, and dining tables.

So when I got back from deployment, you could just imagine the excitement of everyone that finally, our house would turn into a home…with color and design. I brought home pieces from the different places we’ve been to, so our house now is so multi-cultural that every room presents a different theme!

Here are the before and after pictures of our house. Come tell me what you think!


Living room. Ethnic theme, I guess.





Dining room. Native Philippines ang theme.





Breakfast table.





Mai-mai's and Lolit's bedroom, Hawaiian-inspired so notice the grass bed skirt, the bamboo window blinds, and the pink ukelele.





Bokyo's and Barok's bedroom. Eto naman Army ang style.





Mom's and Dad's bedroom, my favorite section of the house! I gave it a Japanese theme, and the effect was beyond what I expected!





Here's our little "jamming corner", where all the musical instruments are. The draperies at the background are all from Bahrain. Nice pieces!





At eto naman kami ni Mari, at the end of the day kami pala ang walang bedroom kaya dito na lang kami sa sofa natulog. Share na lang kami...dahil sanay naman na kami sa masikip na higaan sa barko!


posted by pepay @ 11:13 AM  [13 comment/s]