Rialoves2cook: Today, I'm making a spicy glass noodle salad! It brings the heat like the country I'm flying to tomorrow, which is a terrifying thought! This is the first time I've fit my life in a suitcase, and it's harder than the movies make it look. I've also never been on a plane, so any tips are appreciated.

Our salad typically has shrimp and pork, but my vegetarian friends can swap in their favourite meat substitutes. With fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilis, this dish proves salads still pack a good punch.

#canyoutaketheheat #Leavingonajetplane #saladswithattitude #savemewithyourtraveltips

posted: October 11th, 4:00 pm

***

Sitting on her bedroom floor across from Sunshine, Maria rolled up as many of her cute dresses, shorts, and shirts as they could fit in her suitcases. Grinning, her cousin hummed and danced to the closet.

"Oh my god, remember this?" Sunshine dashed over with a picture of the varsity high school basketball team. "You were so impressive they recruited you sophomore year, and you guys won the finals. Why didn't you keep playing during university?"

"The psychology courses were hard, and between work and studying, I didn't have the time."

"There's a court at the apartments. I know two handsome men who need an ego check."

Maria laughed as she packed a bright yellow dress. "It's been years since I played. Their egos will be fine."

Shouting echoed from the kitchen, more intense than usual. Her father bellowed, and the door slammed a minute later. After bowing her head, she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her decision was causing constant turmoil in her parents' solid relationship.

"In a few days, you'll be thousands of miles from that," Sunshine said.

"How am I supposed to go with my dad so angry? What if he's right?" As Maria turned to Sunshine, her mouth raced faster than her mind. "Why did you move back?"

"Breathe, Ria." Sunshine placed her hands on Maria's upper arms and ran them up and down. "You have been through so much crap with your ex that you deserve this amazing tropical escape, and you're working with kids. You love kids! It doesn't get better than that."

"If it's so great, why are you in Edmonton?"

"I missed you terribly."

"Liar, you're shipping me away," Maria teased.

After walking to Maria's old boom box, Sunshine turned on the radio then sat crossed-legged beside her on the carpet. "Promise you won't freak out."

"Sunny, don't make me regret listening to you."

"It won't affect you, relax. Well, a little, Tita Maria," Sunshine whispered the final words with a gigantic smile.

Tita, why would she be an aunt, unless... Maria jumped up from the floor. "Oh my God!"

Sunshine grinned before pressing a finger to her lips "Shh, no one in the family knows. I'm waiting for Dan to tell his parents in Toronto before we announce it here."

"Is he moving to Edmonton?"

Sunshine beamed like a kid on a snow day. "Thanks to you. Otherwise, he'd be working in Bangkok until April, which I couldn't handle. So as much as I want to live it up in Thailand with you, you can understand why I came home."

Maria nodded and hugged her cousin, despite the burning sensation in her chest. Her partying cousin had found love on the opposite side of the world, and Maria, who'd devoted three years to Adrian, had a one-way ticket and a broken heart. "I'm so happy for you!"

"You're the first person I wanted to tell, but it had to be in person. Then when you were so destroyed by your ex, you needed to figure that out without a distraction like mine to gloss over the pain he caused you. I was worried you'd feel obligated to stay and take care of me."

Fighting tears, Maria pulled away. "I will in a heartbeat."

Shaking her head, Sunshine took Maria's hand. "Even though Thailand isn't what you expected, give it a real shot. It'll be so good for you to escape the toxicity here. There are incredible people, ones who'll have your back no matter what, unlike your ex."

"I'd rather be with you and the little one."

"I'll send you a weather screenshot in January, so you can repeat that."

Maria laughed, and a few tears escaped. "How are you feeling about everything?"

Sunshine had never shared in Maria's dreams of having a perfect wedding and family, not that she was against it, she just had a dozen other plans on her vision board to complete first. She gazed down at her belly and frowned. "I have no idea what I'm doing. Honestly, I thought you'd go through this before me and coach me through it."

Maria placed her hand over Sunshine's and fought her burning eyes. Single and fleeing to Thailand put her so far from that dream. "You'll be fantastic. Daniel seems like a wonderful guy, and you'll have support here, more than you'd ever want."

Sunshine laughed. "Yeah, and you're only a video call away."

"How did Dan react to the news?"

"He freaked out a bit, but he's excited now, reading so many articles he'll be narrating the entire experience, which is sweet. Although, I swear if he sends me another link..."

Maria chuckled. "It shows he truly cares." She pushed the question about how Adrian would have reacted to an unplanned pregnancy from her mind.

"As I said, most of the people out there are wonderful, and you'll never be alone."

Maria smiled, hoping that her cousin was right. After three years, Sunshine had returned with a loving man and a baby on the way. Maria wasn't expecting the same, but a fresh start with a crew of friends oblivious to her ex and his unpleasant actions would be a pleasant change.

***

Rialoves2cook: Since my first connecting flight to Vancouver leaves this morning, I've kept it sweet and simple with Ensaladang Mangga. It's a great dish to pair with fish, grilled pork or white rice. The trickiest part of this recipe is finding the green mangos unless your mom buys them in bulk (you're the best <3 I'll miss you truckloads!). Once you cut them up along with tomatoes, onion, you dress it with lime juice and top with shrimp paste. Voila! The country I'll be teaching in, like my family's homeland, has tremendous mangos! My mouth is watering just thinking about it tasting them in person, although part of me feels like I'll wake up tomorrow and this will all have been a dream. I hope that's normal :)

#simplesalads #mango #mysterydestination #leavingtoday #nervousexcitment

posted: October 12th, 5:30 am

***

Flight announcements and animated chatter filled the air as Maria stood beside two flowered suitcases. The crowd of her excited aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents held up 'We'll miss you, Maria' signs. As Tagalog phrases containing her father's name surfaced, Maria's stomach sank. She might not have understood every word, but his refusal to show up at the airport spoke volumes.

Putting her arm over Maria's shoulder, Camilla glanced at their gossiping relatives. "Don't listen to that. He'll come around, iha. You'll see."

Maria trailed her thumbs over her passport cover. "He's stubborn, Mom."

Camilla hugged Maria closer. "His parents acted the same way when we told them we were moving to Canada. They ran a business in town and expected him to take it over."

Maria leaned in. "Is that why Lola never visits?"

"No, their shop closed when your lolo got sick. Your father and uncles tried to convince her to join us after he passed, but she refuses to abandon her husband's spirit."

Sighing, Maria pulled away and tucked her passport in her purse. She longed for her grandparents' magnificent love story, a bond that transcended death, not a move to a foreign country alone.

Camilla patted the side of Maria's suitcase and grinned at her. "I packed a surprise for you, but wait until later to open it."

With a frown, Maria crossed her arms. "You're not trying to get me arrested so I can't leave Canada, are you?"

Her mother's laugh illuminated her face. "No, I want you to enjoy life, and return refreshed. You used to be so happy, dancing, singing, laughing." After Camilla glanced at her watch, her eyes watered. "I can't believe your flight is leaving so soon." She wrapped her arms around Maria. "I will miss you so much. You stay safe, call us every day, and have fun."

As she took a deep breath, Maria teared up and clutched her mother tighter. As often as they worked argued, an entire year without family would be tough if not impossible.

After they separated and she said goodbye to her relatives, she joined the shrinking line to check-in her suitcase. The thud of her luggage on the conveyor belt made her chest tighten. She'd reduced her life to two suitcases and a carry-on, filled with clothes, electronics, a few leftover contest ingredients, small kitchen utensils, toiletries, and printed copies of her loved ones.

After the lonely walk through security, she sat beside a family whose kids raced around teasing each other until one burst into tears near the departure. The mom swept her son into her arms, causing Maria's heart to ache with the emptiness of home the day after a reunion—cluttered with dirty dishes and other reminders of the warmth of the departed guests. Before she realized what she'd done, her phone displayed Adrian's name. For years, he calmed her anxiety since he understood the feeling of drowning in it. She sent him a quick message on the off chance he'd respond like he used to.

Maria: I'm leaving for Bangkok today. So nervous!

Her stomach clenched, awaiting a response. The screen darkened for a few seconds before she checked again. She sighed and hunched her shoulders. Only once she'd stowed her heavy carry-on and settled into her seat on the plane, did Adrian's reply arrive: 'Safe travels.'

Setting the phone to airplane mode, she grimaced at the sad reply. It had been naïve to expect any different.

Soon, the engines rumbled to life, and the surrounding green fields raced by. As the wheels left the tarmac, she gripped the armrests, and her stomach flipped as if she was on a carnival ride. The homes, buildings, and the river in the city she'd grown up calling home shrunk, and the uneasiness in her chest grew. She swallowed, intensifying the dry sensation in her throat. Her attachment to Adrian had cost her everything, her relatives, her friends, and her hometown.