The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG-On a recent Saturday, Dayton resident Roger Tumbocon and Filgie Jarina shared stories and coffee at Ten Ton Coffee in Waitsburg.

Jarina is a traveling physical therapist from Iowa who is under contract at Dayton General Hospital. She has been a PT for 30 years and began work as a traveling PT provider in 2019.

"I have met and worked with some wonderful people during my travel work assignments," she said.

A mutual friend introduced Jarina to Tumbucon, and they discovered they had much in common.

Jarina shared, "As soon as we started talking, we realized right away that we came from the same province in the Philippines, we speak the same dialect, and our home cities are not very far from each other."

Though she is far from her home country, the Philippines, she said meeting people like Roger helped ease some of the longing for home.

"The people of Dayton, my co-workers, and patients have been warm and welcoming to me, and I can probably speak for the other traveling workers as well. I hope that when this contract is over, I will get a chance to come back, whether as a traveling PT again or to visit the people I've met," said Jarina.