📅 2021-12-12 | ⏱️ 18:31 | 👁️ 17.6K views | 👍 2.1K likes | 💬 415 comments
Pea returns to visit Nanai, an 87-year-old woman living alone in a remote village, almost exactly one year after their first meeting. Nanai is a WWII survivor who previously shared her wartime memories and her love story with her late husband. This visit includes a surprise wellness checkup by a health worker, Christmas gifts, and a tour of Nanai's humble off-grid home.
Background on Nanai and the relationship
- Pea first visited this remote village about a year ago and discovered Nanai, an 87-year-old woman who shared her WWII experiences (Japanese soldiers entering the village) and her love story with her late husband while clutching the only photo she had of him
- Pea has been visiting regularly since then, bringing food, medicine, and supplies — but most importantly, someone to listen to her
- Many viewers asked for an update on Nanai, prompting this surprise visit
Nanai's current situation
- Found doing laundry outside; she has difficulty breathing due to asthma, especially when she overdoes her chores
- No new suitors (Pea asks this as a running joke)
- Unable to contact her children in Manila because of terrible cell phone signal in the jungle — essentially no service
- Pea had previously given her a new cell phone (the old one got wet), but the signal is too bad to use it; she also has no phone load
- She has no Christmas plans — "No money, no honey" (Pea notes how funny she is)
- When her husband was alive, they used to prepare pancit (noodles) for Christmas and New Year — noodles symbolize longer life
- Now alone, her daily life revolves around gardening — she plants white flowers outside her house
Gifts and supplies Pea brings
- The radio Pea gave previously is a big hit — Nanai uses it constantly to listen to the news
- Pea brings a multi-function electric cooking pot (Marisha Grace brand) so Nanai can cook rice, boil water for coffee, and make one-pot meals during rainy days without having to go outside to gather firewood
- The big surprise: Pea had their first photo together (from a year ago) made into a puzzle — Nanai loves it and jokes that they look alike; Pea says "of course, because you're my mother"
- A second framed photo of them together at the boulevard
Tour of Nanai's home
- Kitchen: a traditional Filipino firewood kitchen (what Filipinos call the "dirty kitchen"), located inside — no separate indoor kitchen, so this is both the indoor and dirty kitchen combined
- Nanai owns machetes, which Pea points out as proof she's "a true Filipina" — she has two, including one with a handmade handle
- Main room: a religious altar with Baby Jesus, Mary, and Santo Niño — Nanai prays before sleeping every night
- She sleeps on a cot/bed that Pea previously got for her — she says it's "better than sleeping on a hard floor"
- The living room/bedroom is essentially one room; a small receiving area with a view of the Moringa tree where Nanai gets her vegetables
- Nanai has electricity but uses only one light bulb and the radio, paying a minimal amount
Wellness checkup with Mark (health worker)
- Pea brought her friend Mark, a professional health worker from the area, for a surprise checkup
- Mark checks Nanai's vitals: heart rate is 99 beats per minute (normal), breathing rate is 20 CPM (also normal/good)
- He notes her surroundings with lots of trees provide good oxygen
- Blood pressure is normal
- The breathing difficulty is from the asthma, which he says can be treated
- Nanai mentions she uses lemongrass as a remedy
- Mark notes she's eating healthy — lots of vegetables and fruits from her garden
- Mark and Pea plan to return for another checkup and to do Nanai's hair coloring — Pea says she's self-taught via "Google University"
- They'll also bring new clothing on the next visit
Nanai's personality shines through
- She's funny, self-deprecating, and resilient despite her isolation
- She fears there might be even more visitors ("sleepers 2.0") in 2022
- She clearly cherishes Pea's visits and the gifts, especially the puzzle photo