Balikbayan in Manila

You know there's a Balikbayan from the States in Manila when the you see these (at least in my case)...

There's a whole pack of mixed Reese, Kitkat, Hershey's and Whoppers Malted Milk Balls. There's another bigger pack of Almond Joy, Heath Milk Chocolate English Toffee Bar, Reese and Kitkat. There's a slightly bigger pack with just the Kitkat and the Reese Peanut Butter Cups. Then there's the Tootsie Roll, Dots and Tootsie Pops mix. You'll also see a Willy Wonka Treats bag full of Nerds, Sweet Tarts and Laffy Taffy. Starburst is solo but in bite sized pieces. The M&M's in Milk Chocolate, Peanut and Peanut Butter tempt you. Finally, there's the healthier Fruit Rolls and Berry Roll Ups option.

I wanted to try them all, the ones I've never heard of first. I laughed when I saw Almond Joy. There's a song that has Almond Joy in it and I thought it was just a pet name. There are enough treats in there that even just seeing them never fails to light me up like a kid. Then my alter ego is telling me to behave like an adult and leave them in their nice fun packs for the kids or give in to the sweet tooth and risk ruining my diet. But you don't see these mixes all together and in bite sized pieces ordinarily, right...?! It would be great if they could have all of these mixes mixed together for the curious like me instead of having to open all packs and leave those those that I don't like or when I've finally had enough of one mix.

What do you see around you when there's a Balikbayan you know in the house or in Manila? This is just a tribute post to thank them for thinking of us and pasalubong before the flight home. They don't have to bring us clothes, bags, supplements, medicine, chips, candies, shoes, office supplies, computers, makeup and gifts and they did anyway. 


To our dear Balikbayan friends and relatives, welcome back. Your presence brings us back to the good old times and to how much we miss you throughout the years.