They're everywhere!!

"Did you find the love of your life?"

"No I didn't Dad."

Why would a father ask such a question? Mainly because I was telling him about the annual event in London called the Barrio Fiesta.

Barrio Fiesta is this 2 day event west of London where all Filipinos gather for a huge party. A picnic, a carnival, some performances, and Filipino food stalls everywhere!

I was always told that there are so many Filipinos in UK but it didn't hit me until this past weekend. The further west we went on the tube, more and more Filipinos were getting on. It was like the Philippines!

Once we got off at the tube stop, long queues of Filipinos walked to the picnic area. It was really an unbelievable site. I guess a reported 60,000 visitors went to this Barrio Fiesta (Village Festival) last year and I wouldn't doubt if that came close over this past weekend.

I went with my fellow Britofinos and their families. As we walked in I felt like it was the Philippines. Its felt a bit commercial with all these booths trying to advertise a certain product: phone cards, condos, medical services, etc. The area was pretty huge and even include a carnival and a stage for musical performances.

Overall it was good fun. Ate some good food, kicked the football around, and even got to go up to random people and hand out free music CDs to promote a Filipino organization.

I did meet a handful of new people. And yes, some were pretty Britafinas. But nothing worth writing about unfortunately.

A few of comments about this experience:

• I didn't eat as much as I liked. I didn't even have rice!
  
• I did drink a lot of San Miguel in the hot weather which lead to a quick buzz.
  
• Sporting a tattoo is pretty common amongst Britofinos.
  
• Ironically out of all the Filipinos there, I bonded with a South African.
  
• While kicking the football around, I almost fell on my face. (My excuse: I was wearing flipflops instead of trainers like everyone else!)
  
• Apparently wife-beaters are called "vests" in British terms.
  
• Beautiful Filipina + British Accent = entirely possible
  

It was a good experience overall, and I hope I can go again next year!