United Nations Day And Costumes!

I was thrilled when I learned that my kids’ school was holding a United Nations Day celebration. Ayen’s previous school in Manila never had an event like this, probably because it was a Christian school. They only celebrated Nutrition Week and Linggo ng Wika.

The day before the event, I was frantically searching for the perfect costumes for Ayen and Ayli. Hours of searching finally led me to a small shop beside the public market here in Cauayan, Isabela: Lady Marissa Costumes and Dress Shop. Relief washed over me when I found two ancient Chinese costumes that fit perfectly and rented them for just 200 pesos. Such a bargain!

That night, I pulled up some images online to get inspiration for the ancient Chinese look. After all, I’m half-Chinese, so I had a rough idea. But here’s the thing, I’m not a makeup expert. I rarely wear makeup, let alone know how to do it on my children.

Thankfully, our temporary nanny, Marie, had a collection of makeup. I borrowed her eyeliner, and… well, let’s just say the result was an epic fail! Now I finally understand why I flunked my Chinese writing class back in high school.

Still, my little girls, Ayen and Ayli looked adorable in their costumes. They were my very own little China dolls.

Here are some highlights from the event:

The weather was warm, the stage a bit crowded, but the smiles made it all worth it. I spent the day capturing every fun moment with my little ones, even though my “China man” seemed slightly grumpy at times.