When I first found the French-English book Philippines: Un Pays au Pluriel (1987) from the bottom shelf of the Embassy library, it seemed like just any other book about the Philippines with pictures of nature, tribes wearing their traditional garments, and Filipinos wearing beautiful smiles. But when I read the description of the author Jean…
Author: Emi_F
A diplomat, former educator, student of life, lover of nature, literature, art and music, believer of shared humanity
Marching Forward
March is Women’s Month. (Hi to all women reading this blog right now.) It is the advent of spring. It is the last month of the first quarter of the year, which makes us realize that time indeed flies. It is also the time when the weather in Europe becomes unpredictable — sunny one day…
Provins and Rambouillet Getaway
The past week gave me the time to go out of Paris to see some new sights, feel the warmth of the sun on my face and discover high-quality farm products. In fact, it was the search of fresh farm products that motivated the short get-away and it was only a plus that I discovered…
Beauty and mortality
A week ago, I got a bouquet of orange tulips from a flower stall in a street market in Paris. The flowers were so lovely that for several minutes that afternoon, after I arranged them in a vase, they were my favorite photography subjects, with pictures taken from different angles. 🙂 After a few days,…
January 2021
It is the last working day of the first month of 2021. It just seemed yesterday when January 4 came, bringing with it both the anticipation and thrill of the new year, the reluctance to part with the fun and free holidays that offered respite to everyone working hard all year long, and the hesitation…
Of Snowflakes and Rainbows
The past weekend was unlike any of the weekends that passed by in Paris for the longest time–it was a magical time of snowflakes and rainbows. Looking out of my apartment window in the calm Saturday morning, I saw dainty snowflakes, seemingly light as down feathers, gently falling from the sky. It was a sight…
Glimpse of a Diplomat’s Life
What do diplomats do? In the virtual age, is the work of a diplomat still relevant? At a time when even the highest leader of the land or the head of the Foreign Affairs Department can post his/her decisions and sentiments online, available to the public within mere seconds and when news travels more than…
Happy 2021!
You woke up on January 1st 2021, your eyes still heavy with sleep. You wrapped the soft, woollen blanket more tightly around you and felt the soft mattress with your feet enclosed in the warmth of your Christmas socks. While lying in bed, you glanced at your window covered with pastel-colored drapes with tiny flower…
Dr. Jose P. Rizal Day 2020
On December 30, 2020, the Philippines celebrated Rizal Day, which commemorated the life and works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. It is also the 124th year since Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, was shot by a firing squad in Bagumbayan (present day Rizal Park) because of the charges against him for playing a…
Poem on a cold December morning
(Looking outside the window, I see the gray sky and the branches of trees, mostly brown also with brown leaves, slowly swaying with the wind and I hear the sound of lazy rain, with some of the raindrops making a metallic sound as they hit the windowpane. Every now and then, a slight rumble of…
Beyond Routes 