For just over three years my dad has been living in the Philippines and somewhere over there I have a three year old brother. We have not yet met.
Like many stories involving my dad it is hard to figure out how he got from point A to B. Years ago, before he retired, he was supposed to visit his sister in Austria. But his travel agent told him “I can get you there, but for $200 more I can get you to Austria by way of Thailand.” After six weeks of exploring Chiang Mai, he finally made his way to Europe. About two weeks after he was due back at work.
Probably to his disappointment, he was not fired. I called his office to see if they had heard from him and they assured me that the last time he had gone on vacation, seven years earlier, he was a few weeks late coming back and not to worry. They would let me know if they heard anything, and everything turned out fine. His orbit is often unpredictable but there have been few casualties.
So it did not come as too much of a surprise when, after researching how to build log cabins, he announced that he was going to the Philippines. He wanted to build a small cabin in Northern California and found a guy in Washington State who offered a class with free camping nearby. It was too good a bargain to pass up.
When my dad got to Washington, he found out that the instructor had retired and moved to the Philippines. His son, now running the cabin course, announced to the class that anyone who happened to visit Southeast Asia always had a place to stay. My dad booked a ticket immediately on Priceline. As an afterthought, he pointed out that according to the online forums, the expats there had monthly meetings with free pizza and beer.
Now three years later he is married and has another son, a couple of goats and several turkeys. Some time, perhaps after a great feast, his family will make their way back to California.
He had better get working on that cabin.
