Growing up in the Philippines, I remember how my family would hurry and scurry to my grandparent's house every time we'd receive a door-to-door padala box from loved ones and relatives living abroad. No one would dare miss the opening of such boxes. For a few seconds, we'd all be mesmerized by the"amoy abroad" scent that comes out of the box once opened. What would transpire next is a blur. Before you knew it, someone had grabbed something from the box, thrown stuff at one another, fit clothes on, munched candy bars, and compared what one got with the rest of the bunch. There would, of course, be the silent scavenger (and sometimes with an accomplice) who, when after everybody else had ransacked the box, would scrape the leftover goodies. You'd have to be prompt and fast so as to get first dibs, or else you'd be the scavenger or his accomplice (you choose!) :p
Now that I'm on the sending end, I realized that there's a whole lot more to those padala boxes than just being containers of imported goodies.
First and foremost, it's not cheap to fill a box. The box itself costs $10 and shipping fee ranges from $50 to $75 depending on the location of pick-up and delivery.
Next, we go to the contents. Hand-me-downs are good for cushion and stuffing but you cannot send a box that merely contains second-hand items. I'm sure your recipients will appreciate it better if you throw in a dozen cans of carne norte, Spam, chocolates, perfume, purse, watches, shirts, and other branded State-side items. You don't want them wondering why the heck are you sending stuff they can easily buy at home, right? Whenever my husband and I would go shopping for our padala box, we would joke about what our relatives would think of us if we send them Lucky Me Pancit Canton, Century Tuna, and the likes bought from a Filipino store. You get what I mean? Hehe!
After then, hauling those goodies from the grocery store is not an easy task. I'm telling you, when you buy by bulk (it's always cheaper by the dozen and when on sale!), you need a dolly to bring those inside your home and to save yourself some energy from making several trips. Also, not every Filipino living abroad owns a car, so you can just imagine those grocery bags being carried and transported in buses and subway.
Boxing comes next. I'd like to point out that a box doesn't usually get filled and sealed in one day. Normally, we'd buy several items at a time, wait for sales, then wait for the next pay cheque, and repeat the cycle, until the goodies accumulate enough to fill a box. Once ready, you get a box and wrap duct tape all over it until it's sturdy. Then, you start putting the goodies inside the "mummified" box. This is also a somewhat challenging task because you want to make sure that the items inside are packed properly and secured (cookies might get crushed to bits, liquids might leak, etc.). When everything is set, you give the door-to-door delivery service a call to arrange a pick-up.
One to two months thereafter, your box will reach its destination - and then the next thing you'd know is that your family back home hurried and scurried for the grand opening of this box, and telling you how good it smelled :D
So the next time you see or receive a padala box, keep in mind that it's not just a container full of imported items. It's got a whole lot of loving in it :)
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MY PHILIPPINES VACATION COUNTDOWN: 52 days
In less than two months, I'm home! I have been away for six years, and the excitement builds up as the date approaches. I can't hardly wait c",)
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