Every once in a while there is a special event that requires the entire family to get together. This was one of those events. For the first time in two years, I had my mom ride in the car with me. We made our way out to Arlington Heights, following my aunt from South Carolina towards the banquet hall. Despite worrying about arriving late, we were one of the first groups to arrive. After the hugs and hello's, we made our way to our table in the corner near the bar. Once more people arrived at the banquet, they began the open bar.
Speech after speech, song after dance - the birthday girl's friends made their way to the front of the room following the outline of her Debut. The Debut is a traditional Filipino coming-of-age celebration which celebrates a young woman's 18th birthday, the age of maturity in the Philippines. Although also reaching legal maturity at 18, a Filipino man may mark his own debut on his 21st birthday, with less formal celebrations or none at all.
We spent the evening catching up with family and enjoying each others company. Around 10:00 pm I had to leave to make my way to a music video session near Albany Park. Stay tuned for more updates and articles being released soon! I've been in business development mode for the past month - working with DoorDash, helping them scale up and grow! Follow me on snapchat & instagram!
Panda.