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Rainy days are
here again but luckily, there were clear skies
and a pleasant warm breeze when Ian Gray
and Catherine Ebert-Gray, management counselor of
the United States Embassy in Manila, rolled out the
welcome mat for new members of the embassy. The
Grays hosted a fun-filled backyard barbeque party at
their home in Dasmariņas Village in Makati City.
Honorees for the night – namely, Lesley Ashby, Mervin Biteng,
Phathanie Chapman, Gigi Denver, Venod Kerns, John
Prukop, Eileen Shackleford, Yunhui Singer, Patrick
Tran, Dr. Rajeesh Vyas, April Waters and Graham
Webster – were treated to a warm welcome from
colleagues in the embassy and at the same time,
mingled with new friends in the Philippines.
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Instead of the usual formal reception line, guests
at the casual affair were greeted by the Gray
couple’s young children, who busied themselves
cross-checking names on the guest list and handing
out name tags. That same sense of fun set the stage
for the rest of the evening. Everyone was encouraged
to come in their barbeque best, forgoing sober suits
for Hawaiian shirts, shorts and jeans. DJs kept the
party lively, spinning popular tunes from the 70s
and 80s, while guests – including a very relaxed US
Ambassador Kristie Kenney, dressed down in cropped
pants and a T-shirt, who popped in for a bit –
chowed down on Mongolian Barbeque and assorted dim
sum.
To the new members of the US Embassy in Manila, Mabuhay!
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