Bugoy

"Our lives are shaped by our history", so it was said in Grey's Anatomy. So here it is - I was looking at the geography of my past - the places I lived in - 5 countries. And the places I visited - where I have spent at least four hours of my life - that came to 12 countries and 216 cities and still counting.

No wonder I am very tired and never have much time or $$$ - for that matter. Right now,I am trying to decide whether to go to Washington DC and lobby for American Rivers in September. Detroit is river city as well as a Great Lakes City. The trip is usually quick; but a very hectic 2 days visiting the offices of members of congress lobbying for more clean water regulations and river preservation and protection.

Washington is not as fun to visit after 9/11 - too much security! I always like haunting the halls of the Capitol, especially for causes I am passionate about.

Rivers are one of my passions - our Kalubihan is by the Naghalin river. I spent a lot of time there. I have wonderful memories with the Roldan cousins at Ilaya - Nana Pising and Tata Titing. As I wrote to Elmer a while back - I hold the Roldans very dear to my heart.

In Bawo River - well,lots of happy memories with the Rules - Zaida, Nanan, Aurora, Wilma and Tio Camilo - may his soul rest in peace. I loved the rivers in Catmon. That love have manifested in numerous ways.

My psyche crave to be by a river a lot. I find the music of river flow very calming and comforting. In Vallejo, California it was the Napa River;in Iron Bridge,Ontario it was Blind River and the Missasauga; in Paducah, Kentucky - the Ohio and the Mississippi;in Christchurch, New Zealand - the River Avon. Now, it is the Detroit River, the Huron River (around Ann Arbor) and the Rouge River (close to my house in Northville). Have canoed down the Au Sable (Michigan) and floated down the White River in Missouri.

All of Catmon was my realm so it seemed - that is why some folks labeled me - "Bugoy". Lola Bette and I lived at the edge of town - by the Pilapilan. Our house was pretty isolated. I was lonely and needy, and in retrospect, so was Lola. So I would wander around town especially in the summer and play with whoever I can find. But mostly I ended up in the river.

Don't get me wrong - some of it, was pretty structured; like the time spent with Tata Batyong and Lola Sayong for example. Before they had running water, we had to fetch water from the river - sag-ub. It seemed such a long way from the river to the house. I broke a lot of sag-ub.

Tata used to get so mad when I break the bamboo tubes. I could not get the hang of letting the "sag-ub" gently on the ground. So finally, it was decided that I use a metal pail to help fetch water.

Catmon memories come randomly - I hope visit Italy, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Vietnam in the future. I am struggling in my Arabic studies preparing for a trip to the Arab countries. I guess the "bugoy" inside continue to live on. I already have a list of rivers, I plan to play in.