I – Preparing for our trip to the Philippines

Our preparation for the trip

            It’s Thursday, June 8 the day we fly to Manila, Philippines, and I am anxious to see my family relatives whom I haven’t seen for over 30 years.  It’s early morning at 6:00 a.m. and our flight is in the evening at 9:00 p.m. from LA Airport.  I look at my wife and daughter and they are still sleeping.  I decide to pick up my newspaper which is always placed in front of my driveway by the newspaper lady who comes early at 5:30 every day to deliver my newspaper.  As I am walking to the front, I see a rabbit who is running towards the neighbor’s yard to hide from me.  As I am walking back to the door, I look up to the sky to see what kind of weather it will be. The sun is rising on the east, but it is too early to feel the heat from the sun.  But I am sure today is going to be warm and sunny which means a good clear day for flying.  I go inside and get a bowl of cereal with blueberries and milk.  This is my favorite breakfast because it has the fiber and all the essential nutrients I need to start the day.  As I am eating my cereal, I read the newspaper as always to keep up with the news around the world and of our country.  But the news is all bad news about the Middle East and Trump colluding with the Russians to win the election.

It’s 7:00 and now my wife and daughter are awakening. They always sleep later than I do. My wife asks me, “What time is it?” I tell her the time and it’s time for us to get ready for our trip to the Philippines.  She goes to the restroom to wash her mouth and face. While she is changing her clothes, my daughter is up and is now grooming our dog. This is her job everyday.  Thirty minutes later she is preparing  all her food and beddings so that our good friends from Temecula, who are married, can take care of the dog for the whole two weeks while we are in the Philippines.  Their kids love our dog, so know the dog will be taken care of well.  So now everyone is eating, my daughter, my wife and our dog.  As they are eating, my  i-phone rings.  It’s my cousin in Sacramento.  He wants to give me the address and phone number of our contact who is going to be our guide and is driving us to Banaue Rice Terrace, the Sagada Caves, and later to Baguio for a three day tour.   My cousin says he is a good driver who knows how to navigate the difficult journey through the narrow winding road up the mountains going to the rice terraces of Banaue and the Sagada Caves and later to Baguio.  My cousin tells me not to worry because his Toyota van is very comfortable and has a lot of room for our luggage.  Besides it has air condition which is necessary for the hot and humid weather of the Philippines.  He tells me again we are going to be comfortable riding in his van. He tells me that it is a good idea to bring American candies to our relatives especially to their kids who love American candy since it is expensive and hard to get there. My cousin, who always goes back to the Philippines once a year to take care of his mother, tells me to bring all the essentials to make our trip safe like sunscreen, bug spray, hat, and shorts because in June the Philippines is hot and humid. We are staying in his house when we arrive in San Juan La Union, the place where my mother and all of us lived many years ago. I still have many relatives there all on my mother’s side in San Juan La Union.

It’s now 8:00 a.m. and we have four to five hours to pack up, charge our cameras and i-Phones, and get any last minute items like snacks, gum, and first-aide items we need for our two-week trip.  My wife decides to go to the store to buy snacks and gum while I clean up the front and back yard.  I am lucky to have my friend come every day to water my garden and take care of our yard while we are gone on vacation.  It’s good we have friends who will take care of our house and our dog while we are gone. My daughter is the least prepared as she depends on my wife to pack all her things.  As she is looking through her room, I notice that she is looking for her i-Phone charger.  She asks me where it is, and I tell her that I have it packed away with all my electronic gadgets.  But I tell her I am bringing an extra charger in case we lose one.

It’s 1:00 pm and it’s time to leave for LA Airport. It’s a Thursday, so traffic is light. Besides we need to be at the airport at least three hours before our departure.  So that gives us plenty of time to find a parking place, check our bags, and go through security.  All of this takes about one and half to two hours.  As we are entering the parking lot, I notice that I am missing my pre-paid parking voucher that shows the parking attendant that we have already paid in advance for our parking. So I look through my binder that contains all the information of our trip, package tours, hotel vouchers, and my pre-paid parking voucher.  After shuffling through all the paper work, I find my parking voucher which I need to give to the parking attendant.  In return, he gives me a special parking permit to put on my dashboard that shows my parking is already paid.  I make sure I put it there before leaving our van and getting on the short shuttle bus ride to the airport.Description: https://www.palomar.edu/pages/mcastillo/wp-content/uploads/sites/81/2018/06/Hail-front-house-Jan-2017-sm-good-300x225.jpg

As we are riding the airport shuttle bus, I look at my watch and I calculate that we have five hours to spare.  Our timing is good.  LA airport is one of the busiest airport in the U.S., and with so many travelers departing and arriving at this airport, it is always a good idea to arrive at least three hours before your plane’s departure.  In this case we have five hours, a comfortable time to wait for our departure to the Philippines on Asia Air Lines.

It’s now 9:00 p.m. and we are all on board the plane and sitting on the left side of the plane just behind the left wing of the plane.  I am sitting near the window because I always want to look out and take pictures.  Next to me is my daughter who always sits between us.  And on the isle seat is the seat for my wife because it’s easier for her to get out and use the restroom.

After one hour in the air we are now cruising at an altitude of 33,000 feet and the plane is now leveling off.  Outside the plane I can see it is dark.  It’s night already and it is time to try to get some sleep.  The seats are comfortable, but to help me sleep better I put on my Bose headphone which I can attach to my i-Phone and listen to some calming music.  As I am plugging it into my i-Phone, my daughter taps me on the shoulder and asks me if I need a pillow and blanket.  I say, “Yes.” I put them around me to get comfortable.  I close my eyes again and listen to relaxing music for an hour.  After an hour I turn my i-Phone music off, but I leave the Bose headphone on my ears because it shields the hissing sound of the plane so I can sleep better.  As I close my eyes, I am thinking about meeting all my relatives I have not seen for 30 years.  That thought gives me so much excitement and anxiety because I know that in 18 hours I will be seeing them after so many years.  The thought of reunification lingers in my mind, and it gives me a sense of peace and happiness.  There is nothing better than meeting your distant relatives, eating authentic homemade Filipino food, retracing your roots, and reminiscing about the past of where you once lived, played as a child, and spent time with your family and relatives all living in a small town of San Juan La Union.  I still hear a slight hissing from the noise of the plane.  But, my eyes are closed, and I am now sleeping and dreaming of my journey back home.

 

 

 

 

 

The possessive adjectives

Subject

Pronouns

Possessive

Adjectives

Example

Sentences

I my I am from the Philippines.   My name is Bernardo.
you your You are a good student.  Your teacher is proud of you.
he his He is from India.  His name is Indira.
she her She is a teacher.  Her students are from many countries.
it its It is a good dog.  Its name is Coco.
we our We are from different countries.  Our teacher is very nice.
you your You are all in beginning ESL class.   Your class is Monday and Wednesday.
they their They are from Thailand.  Their family is big.

Possessive adjectives show ownership or relationship to an object or person. You can say that the subject pronoun mirrors its possessive component.

Example:  I enjoy eating with my friends and relatives.

He loves his new car.

We see our success through our efforts.

A.  Exercise on adjective clause. Write the possessive adjective that corresponds to the subject pronoun.

B.  More practice

Download (PDF, 28KB)

The present continuous

Subject

BE

Verb + ing

I

am

‘m

waiting

You

are

‘re

playing

He

is

‘s

writing

She

is

‘s

reading

It

is

‘s

working

We

are

‘re

dancing

you (plural)

are

‘re

talking

They

are

‘re

thinking

 

Rule – 1.  Use the present continuous to talk about actions that are in progress at the moment. The actions are not yet completed.

Example:   Are you studying?  Yes, I am studying for my ESL test.

  1. Use the present continuous to talk about actions that are in progress of the moment but maybe not at this moment.

Example:  My sister is taking only one class this semester.  She’s working at night.

  1. When the subject is doing two actions, it is not necessary to repeat the subject and the verb “BE.”

Example:  I am reading and writing my homework for the class. / She is singing and dancing for the show.

Note:  It is very common to use contractions in conversations and informal writing.

Example:  My mother’s cooking Italian and Chinese food for the party.

She’s also singing and dancing for her guests.

She’s always talking to and laughing with her guests.

Spelling changes:

  1. Some one syllable verbs like stop, let, or plan require you to double the last consonant before adding “ING” because they end with a “C – V – C” ( a consonant – vowel – consonant) sequence.

For example:  Stop – stopping  / let  –  letting /  sit – sitting / plan – planning

  1. If a verb has two or more syllable, if the last syllable carries the stress of the verb and ends in a C – V – C” (consonant – vowel – consonant) sequence, then also double the last consonant before adding “ING.”

For example:  permit– permitting  /  submit–  submitting  /

  1. Verbs ending in a vowel sound, just add “ING.”

Example:  pray – praying /  play – playing  / cry – crying  / buy – buying

In certain verbs that end in “ie” like “lie and tie”, change “ie” to ‘y”

Lie – lying   / tie  –  tying

A.  Exercise using the present continuous

Use the correct form of the present continuous.

B.  More practice – Follow the directions on this two part exercise.

Download (PDF, 33KB)

Comments are closed.