A travelogue extraordinaire! What a wonderful way to learn
about the Philippines. Johnnie Johnson takes us on his first eye-opening six
week trip in 2011 and we share his learning experiences right along with him.
Johnnie married a Filipina, Fay, late in life. This relationship
is where Johnnie opens up his heart as well as his life to a new way of living
and learning.
Being an educated man, Johnnie is able to articulate to his
readers all the wonders of the Philippines with ease. We get to walk the colorful
countryside and visit the rice fields. We ride on Lorries and Jeepneys on our
way to family get-togethers. His wife
has a large extended family and Johnnie learns to fit right in.
We share Filipino
culture in the preparation of delicious meals shared and the honest
conversation spoken freely representing the culture. We go to church with
Johnnie and Fay where his inner most thoughts are expressed to the reader.
Johnnie enjoys his visit as any reader can tell. However, he
doesn’t sugar coat the problems in the Philippines. The government is in need
of major improvement. We see this as Johnnie describes the ordeal Fay goes
through trying to renew her driving license.
The people are optimistic, but Johnnie can’t help wondering
why at times. For such hard working people, he thinks they should be better off
than they are. He finds it mind-boggling that services offered are so
inexpensive. He knows this first hand because he had to visit the dentist.
My daughter-in-law is Filipino and I feel I understand her
better from reading A Virgin in the
Philippines. Her extended family resembles Fay’s family in many ways.
Thank you to Johnnie Johnson for such a beautiful insight to
daily life in the Philippines! I wish you and Fay much happiness and many more
visits back to enjoy the Philippines.
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