Typical Filipino (XIV) - Typisch Philippinisch (IV): Numbers - Zahlen

 

Einige Filipinos gehen vorsichtig mit der Zahl 13 um und werden bei Einladungen darauf achten, daß nicht 13 Personen am Tisch versammelt sind, da dies wahrscheinlich Unglück bringen würde. Die Anzahl der Stufen zum Haupteingang des Hauses sollte nicht durch drei teilbar sein. Zählen Sie ORO, PLATA, MATA (Gold, Silber, Tod), während Sie die Stufen hinabgehen, Ihr letzter Schritt sollte nicht MATA enden.

Some Filipinos are careful with the numbers 13 and will make sure when invitations are not 13 people around the table, as this would likely bring bad luck. The number of steps to the main entrance of the house should not be divisible by three. Just count ORO, PLATA, MATA = gold, silver, death, while your are going down. Your last step should not end up with DEATH.

WITH BEETHOVEN UNDER PALMS (XIV)

 

Chapter XIV: Many unbelievable surprises but also a sad one 

"Immediately leave the territory of the German Democratic Republic!" The tone of the border guards was very perched. We had spread our picnic basket and blanket on a meadow and were just about to start eating. "Don't see that our state border is meters away from the wall?" The voices were getting louder and louder. We quickly packed up our things and were allowed to leave. 

From now on we always had big problems when we were on the transit highways from West Berlin to West Germany. There were hours of waiting for us at the East German  checkpoints. There was no other choice for us, after all, we wanted to visit my mother in West Germany - ca. 500 km away from Berlin.

Another very well known visitor arrived in the Philippine Community in Berlin: Cardinal Jaime Sin -  instrumental in the People’s Revolution. Jaime L. Sin (born 1928) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served in the Philippines. He was instrumental in the defeat of the Marcos regime in 1986 (during the EDSA Revolution, aka People Power Revolution).  Jaime L. Sin, was born in the town of New Washington, Aklan, in the Visayan Islands of the Philippines on August 21, 1928. 

Rossana had meanwhile passed her C2-German Language Test. We decided that she should apply for German citizenship. We loved to travel. But it meant that she had to apply for a visa for every country we wanted to travel for. So we found ourselves again at the Spanish Embassy for our vacation trip to our favorite island: Gran Canaria.

We were astonished how many Filipinas and Filipinos lived on this wonderful Spanish island in front of the West African coast. We got to know Luzviminda - star dancer in a Filipino ethnic dance group. There were indescribable moments. Luzviminda and Rossana knew only one topic that they talked: dancing. 

In the meantime we were able to build up our own dance group: the New Manisan Dancegroup Berlin. 

Countless stage appearances followed - including our first TV show "Mabuhay" with me as a somewhat stuttering and bumby host. Thank goodness it wasn't a live broadcast.

Then came the very sad event: Rossana, three months pregnant, lost our first child. "If I'm not allowed to dance at the moment, I'll help you with your work", she replied with a few tears in her eyes. Said and done: layouting and proofreading - she really was a tremendous help.

Ant then, the next Filipino statesman and later president Fidel V. Ramos and his wife came and visited the Philippine Community Berlin. Rossana and I met him six times - especially later during our numerous stays in Manila.

 During Ramos' stay in Berlin, we heard another awesome piece of news. President Cory Aquino had been invited by our chaplain Father Gene Bacareza to visit Berlin - and?

(To be continued!)