Eulogy of a Eulogy from another Planet Part 2

My entire body felt like I just came from under the polar ice cap and then cold water was splashed into my face to make me warm.

The entire clan... no... all of the people in the church will hear the most unexpected Eulogy they will ever ever ever (multiply that to the nth power) hear.

I said my first words, trying to hold back my tears. The whole church was silent, I tried to feel the atmosphere, see how they reacted, i would stop or continue based on the crowd response.

I said my second sentence...

You can now see from my point of view from the altar that the crowd is now an audience. They reacted like they are moving their good ear to wherever the mic sound is coming from. They want to confirm something.

I said my third sentence...

What they thought was merely a sound system mishap was actually what they have thought the first they heard me.

Their bodies felt like they just came from under the polar ice cap and then cold water was splashed into their faces to make them warm.

I said my fourth sentence...

Their eyes are as wide as their sunglasses hiding their tear tired eyes.

All of them had the same expression, a face full of sorrow combined with a face of a person who had put all hope in a person, only to fined out that this person has gone nuts.

I did a sobbing fifth sentence.

They had given up and they were all crying, I got them... and at the back of my head I know that they weren't crying because of the person in the coffin... or so it seemed.

Coming from me, my eulogy was probably the oddest eulogy they would ever hear. It wasn't because I was crying, no, it was that in a family of Ilocano's living in a province I said my speech entirely in English.

From start to finish, I said it in English. Empathize with me. Most of the people in there would never dare speak English or would know English but wouldn't care, then at one of the most expected speeches you hear someone whale out his emotions in a language you turn off your brain to.

From the podium I saw people whispering to the person beside them, they were translating.

From the podium I saw people listen intently, they wanted to understand every word.

From the people I saw people crying, one because "Huhuhu I couldn't understand, huhuhu" and two "He is crying, I cry when I see people cry".

Its like hearing a joke in Japanese, you laugh because the joker laughs, or you know it is a joke.

I cried during my English Eulogy, often times I couldn't say a word.

It was a long speech, half of my speech the electricity went out. I dodn't stop, I spoke at the top of my lungs filled with happy, bitter and thankful words.

My Papang (American), and other foreigners are there at the necrological service.

My first words were... "I am speaking English, I know I wouldn't be an English major if not for Mamang who brought Papang to us"

Aftermath

After the funeral, my family said that they were touched by the speech. The foreigners said I am a smart one.

Mamang would have been very proud.