ATE AND ME

This is a photo of Ate and me in Baguio. I am the one sitting on the left. I think I was only 3 years old when this picture was taken. Baguio is called the Summer Capital of the Philippines because it is the perfect place to go during the hot summer. More on Baguio from Wikipedia:

The City of Baguio (Ilokano: Ciudad ti Baguio; Filipino: Lungsod ng Baguio) is a 1st class highly urbanized city in northern Luzon in the Philippines. Baguio City was established by Americans in 1900 at the site of an Ibaloi village known as Kafagway. Baguio City was designated by the Philippine Commission as the Summer Capital of the Philippines on June 1, 1903 and incorporated as a city by the Philippine Assembly on September 1, 1909. There is a presidential mansion, as well as supreme court and legislative offices in Baguio. Baguio is the seat of government of the Cordillera Administrative Region. The name of the city is derived from the word bagiw in Ibaloi, the indigenous language of the Benguet Region, meaning 'moss'. The city is at an altitude of approximately 1500 meters (5100 feet) in a moist tropical pine forest conducive to the growth of mossy plants and orchids. Shopping at the famous city market offers one a wide array of locally sourced goods and products, from colorful woven fabrics and strung beads to primitive wood carvings, cut flowers, strawberries and vegetables. (Strawberries and string beans - known as 'Baguio beans' across the Philippines - are shipped to major urban markets.) Tourism is one of Baguio's main industries. Commonly, overseas visitors pass through Baguio, while Filipinos make it a destination.
According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 252,386 in 52,302 households.

I call my sister Ate because that is how we call our older female siblings in the Philippines. This is a sign of respect and was adapted from the Chinese culture (who also have similar terms for calling their older brothers and sisters). My sister's name is Sherry, but since she is the only elder sister I have, calling her Ate is sufficient. An older brother is called Kuya. If there is more than one older sibling, the younger ones add their names after the Ate or Kuya, example: Kuya Ian, Ate Marie, etc.