[davfitz]

Thanks to Bandit for initiating a thoughtful thread which is bound to create some interesting exchanges.

For many, liquido has hit the nail squarely on the head: THE WOMAN. I've been "dagget-ed" fair and square and I'm grateful for that. I told friends in Canada that I would go to the end of the earth for the right woman. I did not expect God to take me up on my offer or to choose Dumaguete as my destination. He did.

Anne and I determined some time ago that we would spend the rest of our days together. The various impediments to that prospect are merely detail: detail which must be dealt with, but subordinate to the main objective.

Whatever brings you to Dumaguete must exist on its own terms and for its own sake. To re-create someplace else here is a futile and hopelessly impossible task. Don't bother. You are asking for disappointment.

I have already made some mistakes in adjusting to life in these islands and in this city. There will be others. Each of you will make some too. Rejoice in them. They are part of living.

Tennessee it ain't. Ottawa it can never be. Hosanna!

Let's celebrate the uniqueness of our chosen home!