For the past week, I've been suffering from a case of the doldrums. Yesterday was the first time I'd written anything in a week, anywhere (but not here). This morning, my spirit was lifted when my doorbell rang and a representative of Forex Cargo told me he had two packages to deliver. Filipinos call them balikbayan boxes and I don't think there's an American expression that quite conveys the same meaning. In this particular instance, I had a brother-in-law push them into a corner of the downstairs living room because I know there's nothing in either one intended for anyone but my own family.

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Unless you're a Filipino or have close ties to Filipinos, you probably don't have a clue what I'm talking about when I mention anything about a balikbayan box. The word "balikbayan" is actually a combination word coined in the 1970s. "Balik" means to go back and "bayan" means home town or home country. So "balikbayan" is someone going back to their home country, but it only pertains to people going back to the Philippines.

Since I'm an American living in the Philippines, I become a balikbayan when I return after a trip to the US.

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