His name is Erwin "Pastour" Emata. He's one of the first Filipinos to reach the summit of Mount Everest. I also found out he's my distant cousin. My family had a little party with him and some of the people on his team today. It was kinda cool meeting someone that achieved a feat such as this, knowing he grew up in a place that you would never even see snow. We ate some Filipino food and took pictures. I learned that mountain climbers like them aren't appreciated as much as other people, such as Manny Pacquiao who is a champion boxer from the Philippines. They go through much harder trials and many have lost their lives mountain climbing. They visited the President of The Philippines, and all they got was two cakes and a couple of handshakes. Manny Pacquiao was given a medal, and then was declared a "Modern Day National Hero". I kinda felt sorry for them. They went to Everest to prove that Filipinos can do something that many people thought was impossible for them to do. Although they have a lot of obstacles to overcome, they love what they do and I'm proud for them. They are in America hoping to raise funds for their next Expidition. I might see them again before the head back to Everest. The next expidition will have three women, two whom I've met, and it will known as the "Unity Climb".

- Viral_Phoenix