Sat 1.22.11

Not too bad of a day, a little sad/slow. Woke up and went to lunch with my extended family. My grandma came out with us, she usually doesn’t leave the house, so that was really nice. I had an enjoyable conversation with my uncle about the state of the aerospace industry and other engineering related topics. After lunch we went back to the house but my aunt and I stayed in the car and went to the market to pick up flowers. At my request, we were going to visit the graves of my grandfather and one of the family maids.
We went to Market Market and my aunt haggled the prices for some flowers down, quite impressive. Hopefully I can learn that skill while aborad… the first stop was my grandfathers grave. He was cremated and his resting place is in a cemetery/mausoleum place next to a church. My aunt replaced the water in the flower holders there while I just stood and spent the time remembering the few memories of my Grandfather. I remember that whenever he would come over to the US to stay with my family, usually on vacation, he would always bring these awesome gifts. But they were beyond the age of me. Models of old cars, that is probably the most memorable gift that he gave to my brothers and I. they’re still somewhere in my house, but looking back on it, I wish I had cherished those gifts/ memories more. And I realize that as a kid, the future is a difficult thing to grasp, and that you can’t turn back time. In the least, I am happy that I had the opportunity to meet him, from the stories that I hear, he was a great and successful business man. He would bring my mother and her sisters around the world. I think my mom’s favorite story to tell of him is how when they were younger they took a family vacation to france and they would always have the best. I hope one day I can provide that for my family.
After, we visited the grave of Teresa. One of the maids of my mother’s family for a very long time. My aunt and I just stood there for a while, remembering what Teresa meant to us, what she taught us and what part in our lives she had. And upon further reflection, I would go so far to say that she was my first best friend. I remember I would write letters to her and she would respond! We remembered how good her cooking was. And how she would come to the US for months at a time just to stay with us and take care of my brothers and me.