On a rainy day

On tuesday, the 12th of August, I went outside.

It looked like it was going to rain. I returned home to look for my umbrella.

I put it on the door knob but I could not find it.

I was frustrated but I remembered I purchased gifts for family and friends.

I got 3 umbrellas as gifts to support my old schools's alumni association

I took 1 out. I put it in my bag.

Rain did not come.

I went out to eat lunch. I was reminded of what my mom enjoyed.

It reminded me of dishes of my childhood.

Like the rice cooked in leaves, shaped like a heart and eaten with hands .

It is always eaten with my mother's all time favorite, the roasted pig.

It is the special delicacy in the island.

These are the kind of dishes no self- respecting daughter should dare deny.

My daughter's choice for dessert was iced candy.

She insisted I get it.

I was going to get the more traditional dessert people usually order but I listened to her.

Ice candy is not actually a candy. It is fresh fruit blended with milk and frozen.

I remember when I was a little girl , how I made them myself especially during the summer

when I can't stand the heat, I can always grab from my freezer and it helped me cool down.

My daughter chose mango and coconut.

When I tasted it, I was transported back to fond memories of my childhood.

I know it can't be recreated anywhere else because the fresh mango and coconut

grew in the island's soil and taste different.

For appetizer, my daughter insisted I get the baked scallops.

It was baked in cheese, lots of quick melting cheese.

She loved it so much that the shell came out so clean.

We also got the crispy water spinach,

a vegetable that was called an invading species because it grows everywhere.

It's green spinach leaves covered in light batter and is crispy as chips.

Then, it suddenly rained hard. We were stuck inside,

we waited for the rain to slow down a bit and had purple yam ice cream.

Purple yam is a root crop like a sweet potato but it is purple.

Rain slowed down and the umbrella in my bag suddenly became useful.

We walked around and looked for a place where there is an art exhibit.

It turns out the building does not exist anymore. We continued walking and discovered another art.

It was hand made weave by women and using indigenous technique.

My daughter enjoyed weaving and chose a headband but could not find her favorite purple colored fabric.

So, she chose a headband with a bow of varied colored stripes instead.

It was rush hour and it was difficult to go home.

It was an exercise of patience and focus.

There was a lot of argument and debate.

After waiting for a long time, we decided to walk.