3 Day Separation

Last Wednesday, Jojo left for a three day work trip to Scottsdale. This is certainly not the first time Jojo and I have spent time apart. When I used to work for a consulting firm and then the bank, I travelled for work all the time. Likewise, Jojo had to take a few work related trips in the past. Then of course, when I would go home to Manila, Jojo and I would be apart too. And then the times I travelled around the US with my family and Jojo would either stay behind or just catch up a few days later. Those are days when we would be temporarily separated too. But the biggest difference about this 3-day “separation” is the fact that I am pregnant and for some reason my hormones are out of whack. This means, I have been dreading having my husband gone for three days and have been missing him a lot while he has been away.

There’s a Filipino belief called “paglilihi” which basically means a pregnant woman is craving something. Usually food. The most common is wanting to eat green mangoes and “bagoong” (shrimp paste). I guess this is quite similar to Western women craving pickles and ice cream when they are expecting a baby. But in the Filipino culture, “paglilihi” could go beyond just plain old food cravings. You could actually “lihi” towards something or someone. It could be really wanting to be around certain scents, certain things, certain people. In my case, one of my Filipino co-workers actually said she thought I was “naglilihi” with my husband. Which is kinda sorta true. While Jojo and I have a great relationship where we like to be together and do things with each other … these days I do notice that it is more true than usual. We spend our entire weekend together (hanging out at home, going out with family and friends, and even doing chores around the house together). On weekdays, we breakfast together, go to work, have lunch together, go back to work, then come home and make dinner together, before going for our evening strolls. We then watch tv together and say our prayers as a couple. It may be a little strange to be together so much but these days this “togetherness” is such a comfort to me.

So, anyway, with that said, I guess it’s understandable why I am a bit sadder than usual with Jojo leaving for 3 days. It definitely helps that my sister, Atsi Jenny, is staying with me. She and her husband Mark came over on Wed to spend the evening with me. Mark had to leave since he had work the next day. But Atsi stayed with me and kept me “distracted” from missing my hubby. It’s been nice having my sister over. It’s been like a slumber party where we’ve been shopping, eating, fixing stuff around the house, telling stories, staying up to watch tv and just having some sisterly bonding time. It’s a nice break for her to come out and stay with me for 3 days and a nice break for me too. This afternoon, Mark is coming back to pick Atsi up and by that time Jojo will be back from Scottsdale too.