Balikbayan by Jan-Henry Gray


A balikbayan box or “repatriate box” is a package containing any number of small items sent by an overseas Filipino. Though often shipped by sea, these boxes are often brought by Filipinos returning to the Philippines by air.

 

An erasure of a Wikipedia entry

 

 

 

[hide History]  [edit these boxes] fill with what the sender thinks the recipient would like: non-perishable food, toiletries, household items, electronics, toys, items (American) hard to find Medium: 18 x 16 x 18 Large: 18 x 18 x 24 Extra large: 24 x 18 x 24 inches 75 pounds max part of the benefit: bulk versus individual. tradeoff: long transit time, lack of delivery date, a custom passes customs, returnees are expected to bring home gifts to family and friends—the practice of pasalubong[1] Work overseas as maids in Saudi, a brothel in Dubai, nurses in the States [citation needed] ever since Typhoon Ketsana (now Haiyan no Yolanda) and Homeland Security: almost all shipments have been delayed.

 
 
  
 
  
 
 
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Jan-Henry Gray is a Poetry MFA candidate at Columbia College Chicago. Born in the Philippines and raised in California, his poems have won the Dan Langton Award and the Mark Linenthal Award. He is a recipient of the 2014 Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Arts Award.