Home Is Where The Heart Is.

Meet Marisa. Like most 5th graders, she loves hearing the final bell ring at the end of the day. As the school bus comes to her stop, she cannot stop thinking about getting home. When she gets home, Nanay, her grandma, greets her with a warm hug, she inhales the warm scent of turon, a delicious Filipino sweet treat that has banana and langka, and sweet jackfruit, rolled up and splattered with loads of melted brown sugar then fried in hot oil. With her backpack unpacked and ready to go for the next day, Marisa is now ready to tackle her homework. As she listens to some music and eats her special turon treat, she thinks about how lucky she is to have a roof, a bed, a couple people who know who she is, groceries to stay fed, nice clothes to wear, clean water and so much more. After Marisa’s homework is finished and put away, she goes to the dining room and helps her mom set the table. “Kakain na!” She sings Time to eat. When everyone is gathered at the table, Marisa’s mom brings out the pot of sinigang, a popular comfort food from the Philippines, known for its tangy flavour and its sour broth, typically flavoured with tamarind or sour fruits like calamansi or green mango and is loaded with pork, shrimp, and fish, and various vegetables like okra, eggplant, and water spinach. But Marisa’s favorite part would have to be the bagoong. Bagoong is a salty, pink, paste that’s made out of minced shrimp and fish. Once she’s done, Marisa helps do the dishes and clear the table. She also helps prepare the lunches for the next day. As Marisa and her little brother, Angelo go up the stairs to their bedrooms, they say a quick prayer together, asking God to protect their home and to grant everyone they love gainful rest. As Angelo drifts off to sleep he says to Marisa, Good night Ate, Good night big sister, Marisa kisses him goodnight. The next day, as she leaves for school she hugs Nanay and asks, “Ano merienda Nay?” What’s my snack Nanay? Her grandma laughs and kisses her head and says “Makikita mo.” We’ll see.