A few weeks ago, Dan happened to come across a website that told us of an annual Filipino festival in London. Organized by the Philippine Centre, the festival took place in Lampton Park, Hounslow (west London).
Of course we had to get our lumpia and pancit fix, and we heard they also had ube and mango ice cream. We went to check out the scene and were overwhelmed by the estimated 60,000 people who attended that weekend. There are a lot of Filipinos in London, as there are anywhere else!
The highlight of the weekend, however, was that in that crowd of thousands, I bumped into a family member. Dan and I were browsing one of the hundreds of booths sprawled across the park, when someone called out "Carmen!" It turns out the woman sitting at the table in front of me was my cousin Dundeet! She lives in Manila, but had come over to London for the weekend to represent her company at the fiesta. After much yelping and hugging (it was the first time she met Dan), we caught up and took pictures. I hadn't seen her for 6 years, when I was last in the Philippines.
I suppose the chances of bumping into a relative at Filipino fiestas are quite high...aren't Filipinos all related somehow? However, we were very excited to discover each other and to enjoy that moment of randomness that brings great fortune.
