What did you appreciate most about living in the Philippines and Vanuatu? How were your experiences similar? Different?  

When you live in a foreign country (as opposed to visiting as a tourist), you can see and experience places of interest at your leisure and over and over again. And both Vanuatu and the Philippines have some beautiful, fascinating, fun places to visit on day trips, weekends, or longer. A few highlights in the Philippines: hiking in Baguio, staying at Hundred Islands with two other families and many daytrips to Tagaytay overlooking Taal Volcano. In Vanuatu: day cruises on the Coongoola, snorkeling at Hideaway Island, and climbing Yasur Volcano.

Much more than the sightseeing and trips, I appreciated the people. Both Filipinos and ni-Vanuatu made me feel welcome in their countries. As expats, we were part of the larger expatriate community, a group of people from all over the world. Because we all were far from our relatives and old school friends, we were eager to make new contacts, and we relied on each other. It’s always fun to meet new people, but when they’re men, women, and children from Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, India, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and every country in Europe, the pleasure is doubled and varied. In the Philippines, we also spent time with Eugene’s relatives and family friends who had moved to Manila from China before WWII.

Living in Vanuatu, was basically the same as living in the Philippines but on a smaller scale. The biggest difference was that our daughters were no longer with us. They were in college and grad school. One was working in the Russian Far East.

Did you experience any violence or coup attempts when you lived in the Philippines?

In the Philippines, we experienced the imposition of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos with its curfew and stationing of soldiers with assault rifles at banks and department stores. Even though we lived for many years under his dictatorship, though, foreigners weren’t its main target. Instead, it was the poor who suffered under President Marcos. And thousands of people who opposed him were jailed or killed.

When traveling around the country, we did our best to avoid two armed opposition groups: the New People’s Army in the countryside in the north and the Moro National Liberation Front in the south.

Ironically, the huge People Power Revolution that toppled Marcos was peaceful. It was the violent coup attempts that went on for five years afterwards that I saw close up. In fact, much of what Diana experienced under the December coup attempt is taken from my journal.

Vanuatu has had its small fights and squabbles but nothing serious while we were there. Although, like every country, it has theft, rape, drunkenness, and even the occasional murder, the country has the reputation of being an island paradise, so any lawlessness is passed off as an exceptional case and nothing to worry about.

You’re an accomplished Chinese brush painter. Where did you learn your craft? How does your visual art interlace with your work as a writer?

I learned Chinese brush painting from Professor Chen Bing Sun, a skilled traditional Chinese brush painter who studied at the Shanghai School of Arts before leaving China for the Philippines. For five years, I attended his classes two mornings every week. Later, I studied batik painting with John Heap, a British expat.

A visual artist studies the world around her. She learns to notice details and to appreciate beauty, not only as it is in all the complication of color, light, and form but in how it changes and how it can best be captured and shared. The author brings a similar approach to her understanding of the people and setting of the story she will capture on the page.

Do you think your children see the world differently from the average American because of having grown up overseas?  How have your views been shaped by your international experiences?

Growing up in a developing country expands one’s circle of the familiar. Someone who looks like the maid who walked you to school and combed your hair can’t be disregarded. You’ve heard her laugh and eaten her cooking. You’ve met her friends and family. You know her life has substance.

Having spent most of their pre-college school days at the Manila International School, where only 20% of the student body was American and 99% of the teachers were Filipino, our daughters became accustomed to an international environment. The atmosphere at the school valued academics over sports, and the goal for many of the students, regardless of their country of origin, was to attend an American Ivy-League school.

In sum, I think I can safely say that my daughters have a world view that includes the whole world, and they’re comfortable with people from a variety of backgrounds.

As for me, even before we moved abroad, I think I had the feeling that the whole world was interesting and everyone in it had value. Why? I suppose it had something to do with books. But living abroad definitely expanded my knowledge and understanding of at least a small portion of the world. Also it provided me with some enjoyable experiences and the chance to make some wonderful friendships.