Impressions from the Visa Window

I'll be honest, with two tiny kids at home, I don't go much of anywhere after work except home to play with the boys. Then after dinner, some sudoku and a book, it's bedtime as the solar-powered boys wake up at 5:30AM (can't wait for the boat to come with our blackout curtains!).

Thus, many of my impressions of my new home come from sitting at the visa window for six hours each day. My favorite phrase is "Thank you, Po!" or "Salamat, Po!" depending if the applicant uses Taglish or full-on Tagalog. It's said in such a sing song way - and whether or not the applicant was issued or refused - it brightens me up and keeps on going.

I've also noticed that most families are quite large - 4 or 5 kids appears the norm, and I'm quite surprised when I come across an only child. That poor only child must feel left out at school when everyone else is tagging around with brothers and sisters. William's school enrollment form had space for six names in the "siblings" section.

Also on the child front, I see at least one, and often two, special needs children each day - and their parents and siblings taking special care of their needs. And families with three or four daughters are not uncommon - and the parents are still smiling. I've taken an interest in the rapidly shifting gender imbalances, especially in Asia. Thus, the balance here is heartening after reading so many dire articles.