I started working at GWL in 1996. At first, I was like a scared tiny kitty* in this large company. But when I learned that I would be working closely with another Filipino by the name of Rowena del Mundo, I easily felt at home. At lunch, on my first day at work, she introduced me to her Filipino friends Nancy and Maria. We had lunch everyday at our usual corner at the north end of the cafeteria. Later on, I met the other Filipinos working there. As the years passed, more Filipinos were hired and our group grew bigger and noisier at lunch time. We like getting together at lunch because we laughed and talked freely in Tagalog. We talked about celebrities, problems at work, problems at home, and anything under the sun. Oh! How I miss those talks!
We attended each other's birthday parties, children's christenings, weddings, just to name a few. I asked Rowena, Nancy, Maria and Empress to be godmothers of my youngest son, Ryland, and our friendships became stronger. We went to Ladies' Sports Day together. We organized Christmas parties and took turns in hosting them. I always look forward going to these gatherings and seeing my friends. With me working at home, I surely miss them every now and then.
* Did you get the pun? Kitty is a little CAT. Meow!
