Balikbayan Box

My Aunt Yolly Aristorenas – Urrutia and my cousins Fe and Nelson Melegrito regularly send us clothes, Christmas goodies, gadgets and other useful items from the USA.

 

 

It’s our family’s job to make sure that these gifts get to our aunts, uncles, cousins and other relatives. It usually starts when my aunt calls nanay via cell phone or landline to inform us that a shipment is coming. Weeks later, the Forex truck arrives and it’s tatay who usually receives the large boxes (along with a photo-op by the Forex guys as proof that the boxes arrived and were delivered to the right person).

 

So far, most of the pasalubongs are shoes, bags and clothes have been earmarked by my aunt for nanay who is the closest in dress and shoe size. Sometimes the rest of us in the family get a shirt or two, DVDs and bags. Personally, I’d rather give most of it to some of my relatives because they need it more.

 

 

Sometimes there would be toys. I liked the Buzz Lightyear figurine but I decided to give it away to a younger cousin. Maybe he would get inspired to be the first Filipino spaceman and go “to infinity and beyond”.