TURBAN LEGEND

[EXERPT FROM LECHE]

BY R. ZAMORA LINMARK
CHARACTERS :
•VINCE – Main character
of the story.
•Jings Brother
•Jing – Sister of Vince
• This is a story about Vince who is
a Filipino and is currently living in
Honolulu, Hawaii. He is observing
the people around him at the
Honolulu International Airport. He
seemed to have eyed at his
“kababayan” or fellow Filipinos.
• Vince mentions the fact that when
Filipinos are going back to their families
in the Philippines, they bring so many
balikbayan boxes. These boxes are filled
with canned goods like SPAM and Libby’s
Vienna sausage, designer jeans (new or
hand-me-down), travel sized bottles of
shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion.
 But Vince also points out that these items
inside the balikbayan boxes can be easily
purchased at Duty Free which is outside the
airport. Vince also mentioned a story that
was told by his older sister Jing, wherein an
engineer talked his roommate into checking
him in as an excess baggage which was
cheaper that a round-trip fare. But the man
died of hypothermia.
• Vince didn’t buy the story and said
that there were too many loopholes. It
was a “turban legend.” Jing said that,
“You’re missing the point, brother.”
“It’s not the mechanics that matter.”
“It’s about drama. The extremes a
Filipino will go to just to go back
home for Christmas with his family.”
THANK YOU!
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