I sorely miss the best dad in the world. My pop.

My dad was a clever, good-looking Batangueño with great humor. That’s the best way to describe him.
He was a merchant. He would buy different products (clothes, kitchen utensils, blankets, mosquito nets, etc.) from Divisoria and sell them in far-flung barrios (villages) in the provinces of Central and Northern Luzon. He would bring me along occasionally, especially during summertime. His capability to interact with people, make them laugh, and convince them to buy fascinated me. There were times when my father challenged me to initiate and close deals. I tried so hard to copy his excellent business acumen.

Aside from teaching me how to communicate with customers, my dad also impressed upon me when I accompanied him in his business sorties the values of hard work and patience. We sweated, huffed, and puffed as we carried the products he was selling and walked together through muddy rice paddies to reach the homes of potential customers in places that the vehicle he hired could not reach. This was how I realized that whatever we want in life will not be served on a silver platter.

My dad was the reason why I developed a fondness for reading. He was a voracious reader. He would read three newspapers daily – Bulletin Today (now Manila Bulletin), Tempo, and Balita. He did not spend a day in high school but was so good at English. He was my first English teacher.

He was also why I included “teaching overseas” among my career options. In the late 1990s, when I informed my dad that I was about to complete my Master’s, he asked, “How much would your additional degree add to your monthly salary?” I gave him a rough estimate of my monthly pay should I get that graduate degree. He shook his head and told me that my cousins (and the husband of a cousin) who have no Master’s but are working as seamen are receiving salaries three (3) to five (5) times higher than mine.

My dad, due to circumstances beyond his control when he was young, could not get a college diploma. But he valued education. He was the one who pushed (and helped) me to get a college diploma.

He was also why I included “teaching overseas” among my career options. One night in the late 1990s, when my dad visited me in my flat, I informed him that I was about to complete my Master’s; he asked, “How much would your additional degree add to your monthly salary?” I gave him a rough estimate of my monthly pay should I get that graduate degree. He shook his head and told me that my cousins (and the husband of a cousin) who have no Master’s but are working as seamen are receiving salaries three (3) to five (5) times higher than mine.

My dad did not underestimate the degree I was about to earn. He merely challenged me to maximize the returns of whatever degrees I earned. That night, I revisited my career path and included ESL teaching abroad as an option.

My coming here to South Korea to teach was not an overnight decision; it was part of a plan that my dad influenced.

I love you, Dad!