Uncle Bert

To tell the truth after hearing so much about him and then finally coming to meet him for that first time my Uncle Bert was nothing like what I had expected him to be. I don't know what I was exactly expecting but it wasn't him. My cousin was saying he would be angry upon hearing some recent news but I never saw it. Now, I couldn't always read what he had on his mind but when he smiled it was like he didn't have a care in the world.

Though I don't think I actually got the chance to spend much time with him, to me he seemed to be your stereotypical Filipino. He loved cockfighting, San Miguel beer, and being with his family especially his brothers. He was also one of the first people to give me advice on what to do if I got into trouble on the streets and what to do if I found myself with a girl from a beerhouse. That's one of the things I liked about him most. He didn't sugar coat anything or try to make excuses, he simply told me how it was. He wasn't an uncle that you had to tippy toe around. You could just be your self and you could tell he was going to be honest and be himself as well. In the end I wish I had the chance to get to know him better but that's how I will remember him the most, down to earth and yet carefree and full of life.