I never really knew my Grandmaman. She was always in Switzerland and I, in the Philippines. We seldom spoke, and even letters were exchanged exclusively for birthdays and Christmas.

But today, I finally got the chance to get to know the story behind the woman I knew only as Grandmaman. 

She lived during the WWII. Life was extremely hard for her and her family. My Great-Grandfather was in the military, leaving behind his wife to raise, feed, and clothe their children. I don’t think I need to explain much about this part, we all have an idea how hard times must’ve been during this dark period of our history.

Life for her got even more challenging when she fell in love with my Grandfather, Lolo Tony. Simply put, he was a douche. He married her and had three children with her, but neglected both responsibilities as a father and as a husband. I could tell all, but I feel all is in the past and there’s no point in digging through it once again. All I can say is, she had to work as a single mother for three children in a country where even a cup of coffee costs an arm and a leg.

About ten months ago she was diagnosed with the big C, and it was bad. She had to undergo two operations and chemotherapy, risking a 50-50 chance for life. She survived it and is now 100% back in business!

Today, she lives happily with my Lolo Gery (step-Grandfather) in their beautiful house. She continues to work and occupies herself with house chores and babysitting for my Tito Marcel. 

It was good for me to know who my Grandmaman is because I feel it gives me not only a sense of belonging, but an inspiration and a motivation. It taught me to push through despite the faults of the people you love and despite all of life’s challenges. A woman like Grandmaman is one that’s hard to find and even harder to break.

Anouk has ADHD for real. After playing in the garden she wanted to go swimming. So we walked to the public swimming pool of Berringen, it’s about 3KM away from our house. 

I realize we look nothing alike. Which was comforting in the swimming pool area because everyone there was either a teenager, or a mom with her kids.

Everyone there was fit. And I mean moms had abs, arms of steel, and hella tight asses. My conclusion is this: they all bike. Even elders bike. The Swiss are lucky to have good roads and fresh air, but I feel it’s also because it isn’t so much of an eye-sore to be biking all day when your view is this awesome. 

Here are some of Anouk’s pictures