Today is the second day of our stay in Pangasinan. We finally got a good night's sleep and have more energy for new adventures.
In this part of Pangasinan people speak more Ilocano, a dialect common in North Luzon, but they can also speak Tagalog and Pangasinense. I speaks both Tagalog and Ilocano. It's amazing that in a country as small as the Philippines, there are over 150 languages and different dialects, and sometimes Filipinos don't understand each other.
They kept washing clothes by hand, and after that they gave Clover a bath.
Mom collected the bottles that had accumulated since last night.
When you buy beer or soft drinks here in the Philippines, the store charges you a deposit, which can be 5-10 pesos. They will give you that deposit back when you return the bottles to them.

This man sells different fruits from the farm, so we decided to buy some. These pineapples are 100 pesos for three pieces. He said they were sweet pineapples from Laguna. We bought six pineapples and a bunch of turnips.

There is a local legend about a girl named Pinang, she was very stubborn and lazy. One day her mother got sick and made her do chores around the house. Pinang purposely told her mother that she couldn't find the things she needed, from matches to a ladle. Her mother was so upset, and said she wished Pinang had grown many eyes. That way she could easily find what she was looking for. That night Pinang disappeared, and a few days later her mother found a fruit that was shaped like a head with many eyes. The mother wept, her heart full of regret. She tended the plant and named it Pinang.
In time the word Pinang became Pinya, which means "pineapple" in tagalog.

For breakfast we had steamed crabs, pork soup with cabbage and potatoes, rice, and slices of watermelon, pineapple, and turnips.
I showed Boria how to eat crabs, he said it's delicious, but too much work for a small amount of meat.
I told him the larger crabs tasted better, but were so expensive.

After eating, we decided to go into town again to buy local SIM cards for our phones and try to open a bank account for me.
Jeepneys are a common means of transportation in the Philippines, usually painted in different bright colors. They can carry at least 20 passengers and before the pandemic the fare was only 10 pesos for 10 kilometers, but then it went up to 20 pesos.
Interestingly, here in the Philippines, some roadside stores sell bottled gasoline. Very handy if you suddenly run out of fuel and don't have a gas station nearby.
The market here is large and has a variety of vegetables, fruits, and seafood, most of which Boria had never seen before. Prices vary depending on the season.
This is our backyard. There are vegetables growing here, as well as lots of puppies and kittens. We also used to have pigs and ducks.
The view from the backyard is beautiful. The wide strip of rice fields and hills looks like a picture.
On the wall in the house, my husband noticed a portrait of me and some handmade artwork.

Daniela is studying to be a stewardess at the university and Danica is in college studying to be a teacher. I helped send my siblings to school and university, even though I myself did not have the opportunity to attend college. Since my parents separated, I became the main breadwinner in the family. Several years ago I went to Malaysia and worked there.
Sometimes I worked two jobs a day to earn more money.
In the Philippines, first-born children are often the main breadwinners in the family and must send their younger siblings to school. I - too - was forced to take on this responsibility, despite my young age.
These little fish are called tilapia, they are cheap but tasty.
The big fish are called titan, bluefin balistod or triggerfish. It has thick skin and sharp teeth that it uses to tear through coral, sea urchins, and shells. It is best grilled over charcoal.

My best friend, Mary Jane, came to visit, along with her son, sister and nephews. We gave the children chocolates that we had brought with us from Russia.
Soon after, another friend, Jemar, who is now a teacher at the high school where we attended, came to visit us.
We spent the evening talking. I talked about our experiences living in Russia. Everyone listened with interest.
Filipinos are very family oriented, family comes first no matter what. My family is not rich in material things. What we have in abundance is happiness, support, a close relationship with each other, a sense of fulfillment and an overflowing love for each other. These are things that money can never buy, and my husband is proud and glad to be a member of this family.

He felt so comfortable among Filipinos, despite the language barrier and cultural differences. We laugh together, and felt welcomed.

The Filipino slogan is true to its word: "It's more fun in the Philippines."

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