Wednesday, January 6, 2010

my letter to Carolyn

Hi Carolyn,

This is a reply to your 2nd letter although I am using the e-mail address of the first letter..When I use the email addy of the 2nd one, it does not go! Sometimes technology is not that perfect..

Anyways,back to more details re: Dr. Ireneo..Maybe I told you already before hand he is a dentist, but dentists also have medical background because the teeth is still a part of the human body...So I guess he has ample knowledge of medicine to be able to help your dad..

He was also a good friend of my dad. They went to the same church, the Roman Catholic church in our town and they call each other brod because they belong to the same church society,,I think the photo that you saw several months ago in mt Blog was my birthday party and he is the one with a short hair and glasses..The priest is Fr. Ferrer, also a good friend of the family...

Dr. Tanwanco never changed his short hair cut..They lived in a house beside the Asingan market. At that time they run a drugstore in the ground floor of their residence. Being across the marketside helped in the sales of medicine and other related stuff.

They shared the house with another family, a physician named Dr. Lopez, and his wife and 2 daughters. They stayed together until Dr. Tanwanco and his wife died. Dr, Lopez and his wife also passed away so the house is now owned by the two daughters of Dr, Lopez and they still run the drugstore. The elder daughter was my former teacher when I was still in high school..

I only talked with Dr. Tanwanco a few times. But I e-mailed a nurse who was a neighbour when she was still a child. I believe Mrs. Tanwanco was also her GodMother. So think she would know a lot of stories re: the Tanwanco family since they were neighbours then. Her name ( the Godaughter ) is Vicky and she is now in Sacramento, California. When she replies, I will be able to tell you more stories re: her Godparents, Dr. & Mrs. Tanwanco.

I was born 1942..I have not heard any thing like the story you told me about the clearing of the land, but at that time, Asingan was still a small forest ( I think ) with lots of trees and bushes..

The Japanese also came to town. In fact, they established an office in our house..Weeks before the arrival of the Japs, my parents went into hiding. I was born during the first year of the Pacific War. In 1945, the Yankees arrived!..Hurray!..

I remember a camp right in front of our house ( it was an open ground ) which is a stone's throw away from the Roman Catholic church. But I heard that the soldiers were a boisterous lot and when a few of them got drunk, they would come knocking at our door.

Fortunately, there are two American GIs who boarded in our house. I seem to remember 2 cot beds in our living room. When they left, they gave my Mom several cans of GI rations and also several cans of bacon. Did they ever smell so good!

One of the 2 GIs also corresponded with my Mon for a bit. I saw a wedding photo of one of them. He married his girl friend when he went back to the US..

THis is all for now. More next time...

Thanks again,

Vic

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I received a letter from a good friend, Lito Domaoan who is now in Jersey City..It is somewhat related to Carolyn's letter content..

Hi Vic: Very interesting true story. My Aunt Adriana Alberto received a letter coming from a service man from world War II who was assigned in Asingan. She received the letter when she and her husband were still living here in New Jersey with there son Ency. The letter was received in Asingan forwarded here in New Jersey: I did not read the letter. I learn about the letter thru my aunt but did not elaborate about the content of the letter.

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